SARASOTA, FL (December 17, 2019) — A 48-year-old male nurse from Venice, Fla. was arrested by law enforcement officers on December 16, 2019, on suspicion of committing sexual battery and distributing obscene materials to a child victim. According to an online news report appearing on mysuncoast.com, the factual allegations that give rise to the complaint occurred over several months in 2019. The alleged victim, a girl, reported to be younger than twelve years-of-age, reported the alleged abuse in November of 2019. The Florida Department of Children and Families initiated an investigation into the crime. 

Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies arrested the nurse at his home in Venice. The authorities applied for and received a search warrant for the arrested man’s computer. Sheriff’s deputies said that they searched the computer on December 13 and located a web browsing history replete with indications that the defendant visited websites that depict Disney’s cartoon characters in pornographic images.

The results of the search corroborate the story the victim told law enforcement investigators. The alleged victim explained to investigators that the accused would show characters from the Disney movie “Frozen” engaged in sexual acts. The accused would then have the alleged victim perform those acts on him. 

The nurse told the alleged victim not to tell anyone about the abuse. The defendant threatened to prevent her from visiting with certain people or prevent her from going swimming. The alleged victim told police that the defendant engaged in this behavior for several months before she reported the abuse. 

The police investigators did not indicate how the alleged victim and the defendant knew each other. The defendant made his first appearance in court after his arrest. The court set bond at $1,001,500.00. There was no information available whether the accused made bond. As in every criminal case, the accused is presumed innocent despite how unpopular or distasteful the allegations sound.

Sexual Abuse Allegations in Florida

Allegations of sexual abuse in Florida can take many forms. Sexual abuse in Florida ranges from allegations of rape to sexual battery, or lewd and lascivious conduct, to name a few. Allegations of sexual abuse in Florida have very serious consequences for the accused, especially when the victim is a child.

Chapter 827 of the Florida Statutes from 2019 criminalizes various acts of abuse of children. Section 827.03 punishes abuse, aggravated abuse, and criminal neglect of a child. Aggravated abuse of a child is a first-degree felony. Accordingly, a person convicted of aggravated abuse of a child could receive a life sentence to a Florida penitentiary, or any term of years in prison. Otherwise, the accused might face a second-degree felony for abuse or neglect, resulting in permanent injury or a third-degree felony for willful or negligent abuse or neglect, not resulting in intentional harm or permanent injury.

Aggravated abuse occurs when the accused commits aggravated battery or punishes, tortures, or cages a child. Lastly, aggravated abuse can occur when the accused abusing a child in such a manner that the child sustained substantial bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement. 

Child abuse can also be prosecuted when the alleged victim claims that the actions of the accused caused substantial mental abuse as well as physical abuse. Thus, any touching, sexual conduct, incest, and touching of the sexual organs of a child fall under the crimes of aggravated child abuse or intentional child abuse.