A former employee with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, 47-year-old Justin Sigmon, is facing a federal criminal charge after allegedly sexually abusing a minor.
According to online court documents submitted by the FBI, Sigmon and his family were on a Carnival Sunrise cruise ship that left the Port of Miami, Florida on May 25, 2023.
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Investigators say on May 26, 2023, Sigmon and his family were in the cruise ship’s dining room waiting for dinner to be served, when a witness observed Sigmon molesting a girl under ten years old.
The witness reported that she observed the victim seated on Sigmon’s lap and that Sigmon was rubbing the victim’s upper and inner thighs and moving towards her “private area” with his right hand. Investigators say the incident was video recorded by the witness and surveillance cameras in the ship’s dining room.
Investigators say the recordings show Sigmon rubbing the victim’s upper and inner thighs “underneath the skirt of her dress towards her vaginal and buttocks area.” The victim pushed Sigmon’s hand away several times, but Sigmon continued to touch the victim, according to investigators.
Investigators say that immediately after the victim got off his lap, Sigmon “placed both of his hands over his crotch area for an extended period of time, concealing the area from public view.”
Court documents reveal that a forensic interviewer interviewed the victim. When asked about the incident, she denied that Sigmon touched her private area, instead saying he touched her calf. Investigators note that the video recordings “directly refute” the victim’s rendition of events.
Sigmon consented to an interview with law enforcement, which was not recorded. Investigators say Sigmon told law enforcement that he understood that the touching could be perceived as “inappropriate,” but claimed that it was not intended to be “sexual.”
Investigators also say Sigmon stated that if another man touched his daughter in the same way he would have “punched him in the face.” Sigmon told police that he was covering his crotch area immediately after the touching because he was “cold,” and denied being aroused by the incident.
Sigmon is being held in jail without bail. He is set to appear before a judge on June 14 for arraignment, preliminary examination, and a counsel hearing.
10 News reached out to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office on Monday for an on-camera interview and never heard back. Over the weekend, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement to 10 News:
“The Franklin County Office of the Sheriff was recently contacted regarding a federal criminal charge out of the state of Florida involving one of our members. Since that time, we have been working to gather all the information we can based on the limited amount provided by federal authorities. On Friday, June 2nd, 2023, we made the announcement to the staff of the Office of the Sheriff that Justin Sigmon had resigned his position. Our prayers are with the Sigmon Family.”
Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Criminal Complaint by WSLS on Scribd
Factual Background by WSLS on Scribd
Factual Background (2) by WSLS on Scribd
Conclusion by WSLS on Scribd