-- ALL -- Announcement Bowling Court Environment Fire Health Internet Letter to the Editor News Obituary Pet Patrol Police Politics Roadway School Sports, Wildlife Weather Workshop
BACK
Silver Springs man found guilty in capital sexual battery case
Police  |  Sat - November 18, 2023 1:08 pm  |  Article Hits:302  |  A+ | a-
MCSO mugshot (left); courtroom photo by SAO with Ernest on far left (right).
MCSO mugshot (left); courtroom photo by SAO with Ernest on far left (right).
Office of the State Attorney
William M. Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit
Serving Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando Counties
                           November 17, 2023                                

Marion County, Florida - In the courtroom of the Honorable Judge Peter Brigham, jurors found 41 year-old Kevin William Ernest, of Silver Springs, Florida guilty of three counts of capital sexual battery of a child under 12 years of age, and three counts of sexual battery of a person 12 to 18 years of age by a person in familial custody.

According to the State Attorney's Office (SAO), in July of 2019, Ernest was arrested as the result of a Marion County Sheriff's Office investigation into an anonymous online post by a 12 year-old victim during the last week of June 2019, regarding sexual abuse by Ernest. A concerned adult who saw the juvenile's post and then had dialogue with the victim contacted the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO). Detectives with the MCSO contacted the child, who advised them of numerous incidents of sexual abuse by Ernest. The investigation revealed that Ernest had been abusing the victim since the victim was 10 years old. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Ernest for sexual battery and lewd and lascivious behavior. 

"This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Elizabeth White," said Brittney Carman SAO Public Information Officer II, "Despite the overwhelming challenges to secure a guilty verdict, in a case where physical evidence could not be presented, due to the extensive timeframe of when the crimes occurred and the delay in reporting."

"I am so grateful that this fellow citizen shares the same commitment to protecting children as we do," said William "Bill" Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. "They reached out to the victim, offered their help, and ultimately saved this child. Without this initiative to contact law enforcement, who knows how much more abuse this young child would have suffered from Ernest."

For more information on victim and witness services, please visit the SAO website at www.sao5.org.
Top