Jacksonville man accused of child sexual battery

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested a 42-year-old Jacksonville man on one count of capital sexual battery of an 11-year-old girl that occurred more than dozen years ago while he lived in Punta Gorda.

FDLE agents began investigating Michael Scott Carter in late 2013 after the victim -- now 25 years old -- told authorities that he sexually assaulted her in 1999 and 2000.

According to the arrest warrant, Carter was questioned in 2009 by federal authorities about possession of child pornography on his computer. He told investigators he'd drilled holes in his computer, burned it and thrown it into a dumpster. Agents recovered the computer, but could not retrieve any files from it, so he was never charged.

According to court records, when the victim came forward last fall, she said, "the molestation continued for about 5 to 6 months.  She agreed to phone Carter with the FDLE recording the the call. That call let to his arrest. 

Carter was booked into the Duval County jail and was ordered held without bond during an appearance in court Tuesday.   This case will be prosecuted by in 20th Judicial Circuit in Charlotte County.