August 12, 2022

Broward prosecutors filed criminal charges on Thursday against a teen accused of kidnapping and repeatedly raping a woman on June 10 in Hollywood.

Terry Berger-Smith, 15,  of Hollywood, is charged with four counts of sexual battery (with great force used) and one count of kidnapping (to facilitate a felony). (DOB is 8/1/2007) The maximum possible penalty for the offenses is life in state prison. He has been moved from juvenile detention to the Broward County jail system. A judge ordered early Friday that he should be detained with no bond in a juvenile unit at the jail.

According to the affidavit, the defendant attacked the victim as she was walking to work on the street on the 300 block of South Park Road. The victim reported that he told her he had been watching her and that he wanted to add her to his “collection.” The victim said he raped and sexually battered her and moved her to different locations, livestreaming part of the attack to his friend. The victim said he also told her he had a sexually transmitted disease.

After considering all of the available facts, evidence, and circumstances – including the defendant’s prior violent criminal history and the fact that he was recently released from a juvenile facility in New York – Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor and a panel of senior prosecutors decided the only responsible course of action was to file criminal charges in the adult system.

In Florida’s juvenile justice system, the commitment programs allow for a maximum of up to three years in a juvenile facility. Upon release from the juvenile system, individuals can only be kept under supervision in the community until age 21.

“I have to prioritize the safety of the community and make these kinds of decisions after reviewing all of the evidence and circumstances,” Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said. “This person already went through the juvenile system in New York for a very disturbing violent incident and was committed to a juvenile facility there for 18 months. Upon release, he relocated to Broward County.”

The Hollywood Police Department investigated this case and made the arrest. Detectives are also investigating another incident in the area. Anyone with information that may be relevant should contact the Hollywood Police Department or the Broward State Attorney’s Office.

To request a copy of the affidavit and the charging document, please email mediarelations@sao17.state.fl.us

More information and court documents will be available soon on www.browardclerk.org