September 5, 2019
Child abuse in any form is one of the worst things a child should
have to endure. Especially when that abuse is at the hand of someone the child
knows or respects. Children talk daily with adults and are sometimes just dismissed.
But, in this case a “teacher” listened and encouraged the child to say
something. This is a case where a child
was horribly sexually abused and it took every ounce of courage she could
muster to end her own abuse.
Detectives responded with investigators from the Department
of Children and Family Services after a call to the ABUSE hotline was received.
Detectives spoke to a child who described multiple forms of sexual abuse
perpetrated by John E. Biles (2/23/84) of Morriston. Detectives listened to
hours of testimony this child gave and through this developed cause to arrest
Biles.
Biles has been booked into the Levy County Detention
Facility and charged with three counts of capital sexual battery and one count
of lewd and lascivious battery on a child. His bond was set at $2.5 million
dollars. But this did not end the investigation.
Based on the testimony of this child Detectives seized Biles’
phone that the child said Biles used to record her abuse. Detectives discovered
Biles did have images from this abuse on his phone. Other electronic items are
still being examined and additional charges will be filed when this
investigation is completed.
Sheriff McCallum said, “this is another horrible crime of
abuse committed against an innocent, vulnerable child victim. Our prayers are
certainly with this child and I am so thankful for her bravery in speaking out
and reporting this to her teacher, someone she truly trusted.
This case is another example of the system working together
to stop the abuse for this victim. I especially applaud and commend the teacher
for having a relationship of trust with this child that initiated this
investigation. From the teacher to the DCF investigator to the Child Protection
Team at UF and my Detectives, I offer my commendations for a job well done and
for the arrest bringing this perpetrator to justice and ending this cycle of
abuse on this child.”