Ed Napleton Jr. faces a charge of sexual battery on a helpless person at a West Palm Beach hotel.

WEST PALM BEACH — The son of the president of the Napleton Automotive Group is accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in August at the Marriott hotel near CityPlace.

Ed Napleton Jr., 39, turned himself in to the Palm Beach County Jail on Sunday night where he is being held on $50,000 bail. He is charged with one count of sexual battery on a helpless person.

Napleton Automotive operates dozens of car dealerships in multiple states including Florida. The company's website lists three dealerships in Palm Beach County and another four in the Orlando area.

West Palm Beach police say the woman contacted them after she woke up naked in a hotel bed at the Marriott hotel on Okeechobee Boulevard. She said she was in town for work and had a few glasses of wine but insisted she did not allow anyone into the hotel room, according to the police report.

Police records indicate that surveillance footage captured the woman with Napleton and another man in the early morning hours on Aug. 8. The Palm Beach Post has learned that the second man is a Napleton manager from the Orlando area. Police said the Napleton manager had paid for the hotel room for the woman but police did not know the nature of her relationship to the men.

The video footage shows the woman stumbling and falling down, and at one point the manager dragged her by her feet into the hotel room about 12:08 a.m. The men left 30 seconds later.

Surveillance footage then showed the woman leave her hotel room about 12:30 a.m and then collapsing in the hallway unconscious. Hotel staff told police they put her in a wheelchair because she was unresponsive. The Napleton manager directed staff to the hotel room where she was left unattended.

An hour later, video showed staff giving the Napleton manager a key to the woman's room. He then handed it to Napleton who entered the room. He is seen leaving the room about 7:30 a.m.

The arrest report indicates Napleton is an owner in the Napleton Automotive Group and son of the current president.

The company's webpage says the family operates more than 70 dealerships throughout the U.S. Jail records list an address for Napleton in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, near where the family opened its first dealership in 1931.

In a statement released Monday the company said, "Our company has strict policies and procedures in place to protect the safety and well-being of all employees. In this case, no policy or law was violated.

"We fully support Eddie as he fights to clear his name in court and trust that justice will prevail."

The company did not immediately specify Napleton's role in the company and as of Monday afternoon, Napleton's LinkedIn page had been deactivated. Napleton's attorney Richard Lubin did not immediately return a message left at his office Monday morning.

Investigators tried to contact Napleton but he declined to provide a statement. Evidence collected from a sexual assault kit indicate Napleton's DNA was on the woman.

A judge ordered Napleton to not have contact with any witnesses and said he must surrender all travel documents within five days of being released from custody. He also cannot consume alcohol.

Staff researcher Melanie Mena contributed to this story.

ohitchcock@pbpost.com

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