Port Charlotte man accused of molesting a girl under 12

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
molesting
Demario Desmond Keith Fenton mug shot. CREDIT: CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

A Port Charlotte man is accused of molesting a girl younger than 12 years old while she was visiting her mother from New York.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Demario Desmond Keith Fenton, 20, faces several charges of molesting a victim under the age of 12.

“This is a terrible thing to happen to anyone,” said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prumell, “but it is beyond reprehensible when it happens to a child. The damage done is more than physical, and I hope that this young girl is surrounded with love and support as she now copes with what has happened to her. Parents, I urge you to have conversations with your children to empower them to report abuse in the event it occurs so it can be stopped.”

Following a sexual abuse education presentation at her school in New York, the girl reported what had happened.

Authorities from New York reached out to Charlotte County detectives, who then launched their investigation into Fenton. Later, a search warrant was executed on Wednesday. Fenton eventually confessed during an interview with the major crimes unit.

Fenton was arrested and charged with four counts of lewd/lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old by an offender 18 years of age or older and use of a child in a sexual performance.

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