‘No child should live in fear’: Palatka man arrested and charged with child sexual abuse – Action News Jax

In April, a child protection team called criminal investigations when one of the victims told investigators about the crimes. McKenzie was a family friend. The child said the abuse, which caused injuries, began in 2021 and continued until December 2023.

Another child also told investigators about sexual abuse and that McKenzie was a relative of the family. The child did not tell the family because he was “fearful of retaliation.”

READ: Two North Florida men arrested for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material

In May, detectives obtained a warrant for McKenzie’s arrest. The sheriff’s office said McKenzie was arrested by detectives after he fled to Ohio in early June. He was extradited to Putnam County on Friday, June 21.

“This is further proof of how far we will go to bring these abusers to justice,” said Sheriff HD “Gator” DeLoach. “They may run, they may try to hide, but we will find them. No child should have to live in fear and we hope that these children will eventually recover from their abuse. The nightmare now is prison.”

McKenzie is being held without bail in the Putnam County Jail. He is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 by a suspect 18 years of age or older, one count of sexual battery of a child between the ages of 12 and 16, and one count of lewd and lascivious battery.

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