Crime & Safety

Dunedin Man Charged in Palm Harbor Molestation Case

Detectives say the victim was abused over a period of eight years.

A 21-year-old Dunedin man faces molestation charges, after Pinellas County detectives say he sexually abused a girl over a period of eight years in Palm Harbor.

Zachary Watton of 415 2nd Ave. was arrested Tuesday, April 30, on two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation.

Detectives say the suspect voluntarily came to the Sheriff's Administration Building for an interview and admitted to the incidents.

Detectives say the abuse began when the girl was 4 and continued until she was 12 years old. The victim is now 14.

Detectives began investigating this case on March 21, 2013, after the victim disclosed to her parents that Watton had inappropriately touched her over a period of several years, detectives say.

Watton was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.

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