Marion County Man Charged with Child Sex Crimes; Authorities Warn of Potential Additional Victims

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of sex crimes against two girls has been arrested in Marion County, according to the sheriff’s office.

Christopher Rivera, aged 30, was detained on Wednesday facing charges related to sexual battery involving a victim under 12, alongside two counts of lewd or indecent acts, according to a news announcement by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

An alleged victim of Rivera’s revealed to investigators on June 16 that she endured sexual abuse from him sometime between 2016 and 2017, as detailed in the announcement. Following the initiation of the investigation, another victim reportedly came forward to detectives, describing a similar situation involving Rivera, according to deputies.

“In both incidents, the youth described how Rivera employed intimidation and the fear of punishment to keep them from reporting the abuse,” the release mentioned.

Rivera was brought into the sheriff’s office for an interview on Wednesday, during which he allegedly denied the allegations and “placed blame on the victims for the abuse‚” said investigators, who added that he was later arrested.

Rivera was being held without bond at the time of this writing, records show.

The sheriff’s office believes there may be other victims. Anyone with information about other potential victims is urged to contact the sheriff’s office at 352-732-9111.