Man Arrested for Sexually Assaulting 3-Year-Old

A 35-year-old Sarasota man with an extensive criminal record has been charged with sexually assaulting a 3-year-old boy, according to the .

John Paul Pica, Jr. of 2249 Benson St. was arrested for sexual battery on a child, and booked into the Sarasota County Jail today, the sheriff's office said.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

The boy was playing outside Monday afternoon, when his caregiver went to get him. She heard the boy laughing from inside Pica’s home, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The woman knocked on the door but received no response, according to a probable cause affidavit. Detectives said she entered the home and found Pica and the child under a blanket in Pica’s bedroom.

Pica jumped up and was wearing only shorts and socks and his face turned "pale white," the witness told detectives.

The boy later described to family members what had occurred, and he repeated details of the crime during a specialized interview at the Child Protection Center.

The sheriff's office said Pica is a career criminal with 43 arrests since he was 16 years old for crimes including burglary, battery and drugs.