A snowbird accused of molesting a child has entered a plea in the case and has hired a local attorney.
Michael Robert Turney, 71, of the Village of Ashland, on Monday entered a written plea of not guilty in Hillsborough County Court to a charge of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim 12 years of age or younger. He has retained local criminal defense attorney Jaimie Washo Spivey.
He remains free on $15,000 bond, but a stipulation of his bond is that Turney may not have contact with the victim or any minors. Turney’s bond was posted by his wife.
He was arrested last month at his home on Bernard Lane by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies on a Hillsborough County warrant. He was transported April 6 to the Hillsborough County Jail and released two days later.
Turney splits his time between The Villages and Summit Lake, Wis. He has a Wisconsin driver’s license.
He and his wife purchased their home in The Villages in 2019.
