A resident of Palm Coast has been arrested across the country on a warrant for molestation of a juvenile. 22-year-old Giovanni Curtis was apprehended in El Paso, Texas this past weekend and is awaiting extradition to Flagler County.
According to a release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Curtis was reported by a parent who alleged he’d engaged in inappropriate acts with their child. Curtis was accused of having touched the child’s genitals on multiple occasions across a multi-year span. He also performed oral sex on a different victim, the FCSO says. Curtis would’ve been 13 years old when the offenses are said to have occurred.
The parent who reported Curtis said that when they confronted him about these activities, he volunteered the information that he’d inappropriately touched other children beyond the two who were initially described. These accusations were first reported in May, and an investigation began that culminated this week.
Because of Curtis’s apparent military service, the FCSO worked alongside the United States Army Criminal Investigations Division. They sent their own Major Case Unit detectives to El Paso to interview Curtis. There, he is said to have admitted to what he was accused of. Evidence gathered indicated Curtis’ young age when he is alleged to have committed his crimes in Flagler County, and so detectives are in the process of investigating other potential crimes in other jurisdictions.
Curtis was arrested in El Paso and charged with sexual battery on a victim under twelve years old. He’s currently at the El Paso County Detention Facility while he awaits his extradition to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility in Flagler County.
“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 Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “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.”
Chris Gollon is a Flagler County resident since 2004, as well as a staple of the local independent music scene and avid observer of Central Florida politics, arts, and recreation.
