A Palm Coast man was arrested in Texas over the weekend, accused of sexually abusing a child after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office led an investigation into allegations of child sex crimes in various jurisdictions over several years, according to a press release.
Giovanni Curtis, 22, was arrested by the El Paso Police Department on a charge of sexual battery on a victim under 12. He was being held at the El Paso County Detention Facility on a $150,000 bond and awaiting extradition to Flagler County, according to the sheriff’s office.
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division assisted with the investigation into Curtis, who was serving in the Army at the time of his arrest.
Curtis was 13 “when he committed the crimes in Flagler County,” according to the sheriff’s office, which is working with other agencies in other jurisdictions investigating additional allegations.
The investigation began when the victim’s parent contacted Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detectives in May after “learning that Curtis had inappropriately touched the child’s genitals multiple times over several years and that Curtis had performed oral sex on another victim,” the sheriff’s office stated in the Nov. 11 press release.
The parent also said that when Curtis was confronted with the allegations, “Curtis stated that he touched other children as well,” according to the release.
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office detectives traveled to El Paso to interview Curtis who “admitted to the allegations,” the release stated.
Detectives “recovered information that outlined years of abuse,” the release stated.
“This arrest shows that time does not erase the trauma caused by predators who victimize and steal the innocence away from young children, and being a child yourself does not provide you immunity from the law,” said Sheriff Rick Staly in the release. “Our detectives will continue to pursue justice for victims no matter how long it takes. I commend these young children for speaking up to hold this child predator accountable. Their brave actions may have prevented others from becoming victims. I thank Army CID for their assistance during this investigation.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast man serving in Army arrested in child sex abuse case, Flagler sheriff says
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
