CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy accused of ongoing sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl has been arrested and will be stripped of his badge, Sheriff Michelle Cook announced Thursday.
Deputy Paul S. Mauricio, an eight-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, is charged with capital sexual battery and custodial sexual battery. Cook explained that the capital sexual battery charge involved incidents when the girl was younger than 12, and the custodial sexual battery charge was for incidents after she turned 12.
Cook said it’s not yet determined how many counts of each charge Mauricio, 49, could face.
She said the 12-year-old went to her mother Tuesday night, crying, and told her about being sexually abused by an adult earlier in the day.
According to Mauricio’s arrest report, the girl told her mother what she was going to say, “It’s going to break your heart.” She said the abuse started when she was 11, that she was “tired of it” and wanted it to stop.
“I just want to commend her for her bravery in coming forward with such a difficult conversation with her mom,” Cook said. “I don’t know that she will ever see this or hear this, but for a young lady to come forward at 12 years of age to disclose such a difficult thing, she is a very brave young girl.”
The mom called authorities, and the Department of Children and Families and the Sheriff’s Office began an investigation. Cook said Mauricio was placed on an emergency suspension and kept away from the girl.
She said Mauricio and the girl are known to each but their relationship is not being disclosed to protect the girl’s identity.
During an interview with authorities, the girl detailed a “pattern of sexual abuse” that had been “ongoing for some time,” Cook said.
When Special Victims Unit detectives interviewed Mauricio, he at first denied the allegations, saying the girl was mad at him, according to the arrest report. Then he said he’d been abused as a child and did not understand why he is the way he is.
The arrest report said Mauricio eventually admitted he’d made a “big mistake,” and then broke into tears and admitted what he had done to the girl.
He was arrested and his suspension will be upgraded to termination, Cook said. He is being held without bond and will be in court May 10.
The sheriff said victim advocates are working with the girl’s family to get them resources to support them.
RELATED: Need help? Resources for sexual assault victims in Clay County
“These cases can be difficult to investigate but there is no higher calling than ensuring the safety of the children of this community,” Cook said. “It is always disappointing when a deputy tarnishes the badge, but we have so many more who remain committed to honoring their oath to protect and serve our community by holding criminals accountable, even if that criminal wears a badge.”
In a Facebook post from November 2017, the Sheriff’s Office shared some background about Mauricio, including that he is a Navy veteran who served for more than 20 years, completed four tours and served during Operation Enduring Freedom.
The post, which has now been removed from the Sheriff’s Office page, said before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Mauricio was a bailiff at the Clay County Courthouse who was involved in several high-profile trials.
Signs a child is being groomed by an abuser
Kathy Swafford, the CEO of Safe Haven, said potential abusers will possibly buy a child gifts, send texts or emails behind the parents’ backs, try to spend a lot of time with them without their parents, or try to isolate the child.
Swafford said parents should also be wary if a child starts talking about sexual acts.
If a child does come forward, Swafford said always listen to them and assure them they did the right thing.
She told News4JAX that if it wasn’t for the brave girl speaking up, Mauricio might never have been caught.
She said it’s common for abusers to tell children to keep quiet and it’s important for children to find an adult they feel safe sharing secrets with and for parents to have conversations about what is and isn’t appropriate early on.
“If you think your child is mentally capable of understanding, talk to them. The sooner, the better,” Swafford said. “They need to say, ‘Anytime anybody touches you in a thing that you don’t think is appropriate, in a place that you don’t think is appropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable, you need to come tell me. You won’t be in trouble, I won’t think badly of you, you just need to talk to me about it and then we can discuss it from there.’”
Swafford is a child sex abuse survivor who now advocates for children facing abuse. She said she stayed silent about the abuse she faced for years.
“I never had that conversation with anybody about if this was right or wrong,” Swafford said. “I thought it was normal and it would always happen when I wanted something.”
Swafford eventually learned her abuser had other victims.
She hopes the case involving the brave girl in Clay County prevents other children from being silenced.
“We teach our children that an authority figure is there to protect you, especially a police officer,” Swafford said. “It’s hard to explain to a child once that’s happened that they can trust other authority figures.”
Resources for survivors and their families
- The National Sexual Assault Hotline, 24 hours, call 1-800-656-4673
- Quigley House in Clay County has a 24/7 Crisis Hotline: 904-284-0061 or visit https://www.quigleyhouse.org/ for more information
- You can also contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 904-264-6512 or 911
- Women’s Center of Jacksonville’s 24-hour rape crisis hotline: 904-721-7273
- Sexual abuse survivors in the Jacksonville area can get resources through Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS), call 904-448-1933 or email info@jfcsjax.org