CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A former Clay County deputy on Wednesday pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of molestation.
Paul Mauricio, 50, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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Mauricio resigned from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office when the eight-year veteran of the agency was arrested in April.
On April 12, according to Clay County Michelle Cook, a 12-year-old girl went to her mother, 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.
The mother called authorities, and the Department of Children and Families and the Sheriff’s Office began an investigation.
She said Mauricio and the girl are known to each, but their relationship was not 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 had been abused as a child and did not understand why he is the way he is.
The arrest report said Mauricio eventually admitted he had made a “big mistake” and then broke into tears and admitted what he had done to the girl.
In a November 2017 Facebook post, 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 since been removed from the Sheriff’s Office page, said that before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Mauricio was a bailiff at the Clay County Courthouse who was involved in several high-profile trials.
RELATED: Need help? Resources for sexual assault victims in Clay County
Resources for sexual assault survivors & 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