Joshua Aaron Schuler, of Homosassa, FL, sentenced to life for child molestation
Photo graphic of Schuler courtesy of State Attorney's Office.
State Attorney's Office,
Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
Citrus County, Florida - In a Citrus County courtroom on August 19, 2024, 27 year-old Joshua Aaron Schuler of Homosassa, Florida was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentencing is the result of a jury finding Schuler guilty, on July 12, 2024, of two felonies, one count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child less than 12 years of age, and one count of use of a child in a sexual performance.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Kevin Davis.
"I trust this sentence will reaffirm our community's faith in the criminal justice system, that offenders will be held accountable to the fullest extent possible," said State Attorney Bill Gladson of Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit. "Again, my office is grateful to the courageous individual who reported this crime, and whose actions have unquestionably protected countless others."
The charges against Schuler began on September 17, 2022, when Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a Homosassa residence in response to a call for service. The person who made the complaint told deputies, that on the previous night, they had gone through Schuler's phone and found a video of Schuler molesting a five year-old child; the video was timestamped September 3, 2022, 1:32 a.m.
Citrus County Sheriff's Office, Special Victims Unit Detective Jonathan Richey investigated the incident. After speaking with the complainant, Detective Richey spoke with Schuler. Although Schuler denied the allegation made against him, he was unable to provide an explanation as to the existence of the video. An arrest warrant was obtained for Schuler, and he was placed under arrest.