Bonita Springs man guilty of molesting child younger than 12

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
Stephen Craig Ford
Stephen Ford

A Bonita Springs man was found guilty Friday morning of sexually abusing a child younger than 12 for multiple years.

According to the State Attorney’s Office, 60-year-old Stephen Craig Ford was found guilty as charged with sexual battery on a child less than 12 years of age and lewd or lascivious molestation after a three-day trial in Lee County.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office began investigating in October 2020 after a child victim told their friend about a past sex crime Ford committed against them. That conversation, during a sports practice, was overheard by a member of the victim’s family. That family member told an adult, who contacted LCSO.

Investigators found that Ford molested the child multiple times between September 2014 and September 2020 in Lee County. Ford was then arrested. His sentencing is scheduled for May 22.

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