Ocala, Florida — A 65-year-old man has been arrested after an investigation revealed he had inappropriate contact with a 6-year-old girl.
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detective Jordyn Batts arrested Mark Grabenstein and charged him with Lewd or Lascivious Conduct.
According to reports, on May 27, 2024, Corporal Mead responded to a report that a juvenile victim had disclosed that she was sexually abused by Grabenstein.
Additionally, the victim’s mother told investigators she noticed bruising on the victim’s thighs.
When the mother asked her daughter how she obtained the injuries, the victim became upset and stated that an incident occurred at Grabenstein’s home, located at 6701 Cherry Road, Ocala.
The victim stated that On May 22, 2024, she and two other juveniles went to Grabenstein’s home to play.
During this time, the victim was alone with Grabenstein when he began to tickle her. He then placed her on his knee and began to rock her from side to side with his leg in the victim’s genital region while gripping her waist.
The victim stated that the injuries she sustained were caused by what happened after the “wiggling,” but the victim refused to disclose additional information.
On June 4, 2024, Detectives Annemarie Larocque and Ryan Paxton conducted an interview with Grabenstein, who admitted that the victim was sitting on his knee.
Grabenstein denied the allegations of sexual abuse.
However, after a medical examination of the victim, there were positive findings for sexual abuse.
Based on the victim’s disclosure and corroborating injuries, Grabenstein was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he remains without bond.
Due to the nature of this crime and the fact that Grabenstein has had unsupervised access to children for several years, MCSO detectives believe there may be additional victims. If you or someone you know has been victimized by Grabenstein, please contact Detective Batts at (352) 671-3847.
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