A 65-year-old local man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly admitting to sexual contact with a juvenile female relative in 2019.
Frankfort police charged Mark Fitzgerald with first-degree sexual abuse, a Class D felony.
Mark Fitzgerald
He is accused of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old and saying, “You’re mine now.” The victim said the act made her feel uncomfortable and she confronted him about it, according to Fitzgerald’s arrest citation.
“The victim stated that [Fitzgerald] repeatedly apologized after confronting him about the act,” the arrest report says.
Due to the graphic nature of the complaint and to protect the victim, The State Journal will not give additional details.
“[Fitzgerald] advised that he has talked to God on several occasions about this event and advises he knew he had made a mistake and has assured himself and the victim that this would not happen again,” the arrest citation adds.
Fitzgerald is being lodged in the Franklin County Regional Jail. A judge has not yet set bond in his case.
Sheila , we need a lot of millstones, just for the sexual predators in our community, thats brought to our attention by the SJ ? Is Frankfort and Franklin County ,cursed with an inordinate amount of these predators? Or even worse - are we ,kind of average ? I often ponder about that . Our current judicial system is all we have to stop or deter sexual predators? There’s no proactivity is there ? Just action taken - after the crime is committed.
Amen, Richard. It's appalling. Just last week, there were three arrests for sexual abuse of children, including this ....person. I've often wondered myself whether these offences are more prevalent or there's just more news. I'm afraid that it's getting worse. In addition to having the predators on the prowl, I think that more and more children are being born into situations where they don't get proper supervision; where they aren't getting enough attention and love, which makes them easy prey; and that there are a lot of really sorry "parents" out there who put their children in harm's way. Last month, a woman here in Frankfort moved into the home of a registered sex offender with her 10 year old child. He was arrested, of course, for the inevitable abuse. It's very disturbing. I believe in no second chances for these people. Recidivism is extremely high. Even for the people like this creep who is apparently chatting up God for some guidance.
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“ He is accused of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old and saying, “You’re mine now.”
Positively creepy!
I wonder if during his talks with God, God pointed out that it were better that a millstone be hung around his neck? Seems okay to me.
Sheila , we need a lot of millstones, just for the sexual predators in our community, thats brought to our attention by the SJ ? Is Frankfort and Franklin County ,cursed with an inordinate amount of these predators? Or even worse - are we ,kind of average ? I often ponder about that . Our current judicial system is all we have to stop or deter sexual predators? There’s no proactivity is there ? Just action taken - after the crime is committed.
Amen, Richard. It's appalling. Just last week, there were three arrests for sexual abuse of children, including this ....person. I've often wondered myself whether these offences are more prevalent or there's just more news. I'm afraid that it's getting worse. In addition to having the predators on the prowl, I think that more and more children are being born into situations where they don't get proper supervision; where they aren't getting enough attention and love, which makes them easy prey; and that there are a lot of really sorry "parents" out there who put their children in harm's way. Last month, a woman here in Frankfort moved into the home of a registered sex offender with her 10 year old child. He was arrested, of course, for the inevitable abuse. It's very disturbing. I believe in no second chances for these people. Recidivism is extremely high. Even for the people like this creep who is apparently chatting up God for some guidance.
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions.
If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.