A 34-year-old Ocala man who spent over five and a half years in prison was acquitted by Marion County jurors last week and released, absolving him of allegations that he molested his ex-girlfriend’s child while he was babysitting them.
On Friday, February 21, 2025, a six-person jury found Ricardo Lee Crawford not guilty of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12. Crawford was initially arrested on that charge in November of 2018.
On November 16, 2018, a woman contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and claimed that she had returned home and “caught” her ex-boyfriend, Crawford, “in bed” with her two minor children, according to the arrest report.
The woman claimed that Crawford had “come over to her residence” at around 3 a.m. that morning. She told MCSO that when she entered her children’s bedroom, Crawford “jumped down from the top bunk” where the children were sleeping, and he was “just wearing underwear.”
The report stated that when the woman asked her children what had happened, one of the children disclosed that Crawford had “licked her on the bottom.” During an ensuing medical exam conducted by a nurse, the child claimed that Crawford had “licked her in between her buttocks,” and the child added that this had allegedly occurred “more than one time.”
Crawford’s ex-girlfriend told MCSO that she had broken up with him in September of 2018, though he still came over to her home on occasions to watch the children while she was at work, according to the report.
Following the allegations, MCSO detectives made contact with Crawford at his place of employment. After being read his Miranda rights, Crawford admitted to entering the bedroom in question, though he denied touching his ex-girlfriend’s child or being in the same bed with the child.
Crawford was arrested at his place of work and transported to Marion County Jail on November 16, 2018, where he remained for three days before posting bond.
However, he returned to the facility on August 13, 2019, where he remained in custody until 9:39 p.m. on February 21, 2025, when he was released following the “not guilty” verdict.
If Crawford had been convicted of the lewd and lascivious molestation charge, he would have faced up to life in prison, and he would have been required to register as a sexual predator.