After decades of unresolved child sexual abuse cases in the Jacksonville area, significant progress has been made by law enforcement. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) has arrested a suspect they believe is responsible for these heinous crimes.
This week, law enforcement officials apprehended 64-year-old Julius Fagge III, charging him with four counts of sexual battery involving victims under the age of 12. The breakthrough in these long-standing cases emerged after Fagge’s arrest earlier this year on unrelated charges.
In February, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office arrested Fagge as part of its sexual predator stings, Operation Deviant Nightfall and Operation Deviant Sunrise. He was charged with soliciting a child for sex via a computer. Following this arrest, while Fagge was out on bond, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office initiated contact and uncovered allegations that he had sexually abused multiple children in Jacksonville during the 1990s. All of the victims were believed to be under the age of 12 at the time of the incidents.
The investigation extended beyond Florida, with leads taking investigators to Georgia and North Carolina. The details surrounding these cases have been described as deeply disturbing by law enforcement officials. The victims had feared that no legal action could be taken due to a potential statute of limitations; however, JSO has clarified that there is no such limitation for felony sexual crimes against children.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office urges any survivors of sexual abuse to come forward, assuring them of their commitment to work alongside the State Attorney’s Office to secure justice for the victims and their families, who have suffered enduring trauma. The collaboration with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office has been acknowledged as instrumental in advancing this case.
