A suspect has been charged with years of sexual abuse of two young girls that began when one of the girls was 5 years old.
Jason Michael Canty, 45, of Ocklawaha, was booked at the Marion County Jail this past week after he was arrested on warrants charging him with multiple sex crimes.
In forensic interviews, the two victims detailed years of sexual abuse which began with inappropriate touching and culminated in forced sexual intercourse when they were teenagers, according to arrest reports from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. They described Canty as a family friend who had lived with them and one of the girls had details “the cologne that he usually wore to cover up the stench of his cigarette smoke.” They described times Canty would get them alone by offering rides in his vehicle or seeking out times when the girls were by themselves. One of the girls said she had been reluctance to come forward because she said her family had previously rejected her stories of his abuse.
He was being held without bond at the Marion County Jail pending a Dec. 31 court date.
