Casselberry, Fla. — A man who stalked and attacked two young women during a 2018 “girls’ day” has been convicted of burglary, kidnapping, and sexual battery with the threat of a deadly weapon.

A Seminole County jury found Benjamin V. Hovan guilty on Jan. 24 after a three-day trial led by Assistant State Attorneys Martine McCarthy, Domenick Leo, and Paul Brill.

According to witnesses, Hovan, armed with a knife and crowbar, forced his way into a Casselberry-area apartment where the women had recently returned with packages and groceries.

Hovan pursued them into a bedroom, where he pinned both to a bed, selecting one victim to sexually assault.

Following the attack, Hovan forced both women to drive him to a Publix in Maitland, demanding cash from an ATM. While one woman withdrew money, she flagged down a store employee who called 911. Hovan fled the scene alone in the victims’ silver Toyota Matrix, abandoning the vehicle later.

After a weeklong manhunt, police located Hovan in Titusville, where he was apprehended following a foot chase and Taser deployment.

Evidence presented at trial included surveillance footage from a Walmart parking lot, where Hovan was seen tailing the victims in a stolen white Toyota minivan. Authorities also found the minivan at the victims’ apartment complex.

Additionally, a crime-scene investigator from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office testified that Hovan’s fingerprints were recovered from the stolen Toyota and an empty Red Bull can found on the apartment’s porch.

In a joint statement, McCarthy, Leo, and Brill said:

“We are more than pleased with the verdict and that the jurors followed the law, had the willingness to listen to difficult evidence, and helped bring justice to the two victims.”

Hovan’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 24 before Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler. He remains in custody at the Seminole County Jail.