PALATKA, Fla. — A Putnam County man is under arrest after police say he molested a child as a teenager.
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According to the arrest report, 22-year-old Tyler Scott Kirkland was arrested Jan. 6 for allegedly molesting a 7-year-old child eight different times back in 2016. At the time of the assaults, police say Kirkland was 15 years old.
Detectives from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office told Action News Jax that although the assaults were committed in 2016, the victim only came forward in 2020. The victim told police that she was coerced into performing sexual acts with Kirkland, and was forcibly raped on multiple occasions. In addition, the victim claimed Kirkland involved the family dog in the abuse.
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Kirkland was arrested in Ft. Walton Beach on Jan. 6, 2023. Kirkland was extradited and booked into Putnam County Jail on Jan. 11 and charged with six counts of lewd lascivious behavior and two counts of sexual assault on a victim less than 12 years old.