LAKELAND, Fla., (WFLA) – A 34-year-old man has been arrested after officials said he allegedly sexually abused his girlfriend’s daughter.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said here in the state of Florida, the number one priority is protecting our children, and if we can’t do that, nothing else matters.
Polk County man molested girlfriend’s 8-year-old, filmed it, Florida Attorney General says
“If you’re a predator out there, I’m going to pray for you, but I hate you, and I’m going to find you, and we’re going to make sure that you go away forever,” Uthmeier said.
Uthmeier took to the podium to announce the arrest of Rafiq McDonald.
“My heart breaks for kids like this young girl here, who may never experience a normal life given the trauma and the abuse,” he said.
Officials said Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Apopka were lead on the case after a tip came in from someone in relation to the family.
“Because this individual filmed it, it wasn’t hard to get to the bottom of what was going on,” Uthmeier said.
“This particular defendant abused an 8-year-old child in the most horrific ways. He obtained the trust of someone in order to get around this child,” said Brad McVay, Statewide Prosecutor.
Uthmeier said McDonald is facing a number of charges including two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and possession of child sex abuse material.
“We will bring the maximum charges, we will ensure individuals, like this predator, do not see the light of day again,” he said.
Right now, leaders said there is no evidence that McDonald distributed the footage he is accused of taking, but they are combing through a significant amount of that video. The investigation is ongoing.
“We got another one of these demented individuals,” Uthmeier said.
In the past year and a half, the Attorney General said they have arrested over 2,000 child predators, and he said that trend will not stop, they will continue to crack down.
Uthmeier said if you see something, hear something, know something, come forward because you can save lives.
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