Owner of Port Orange bait and tackle shop charged with molesting 5-year-old girl
A 60-year-old Edgewater man was arrested on charges he sexually abused a 5-year-old girl, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office.
Lawrence Craig Patterson, who owns and operates a bait and tackle shop in Port Orange, was charged with lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12, a felony, and if found guilty could be sentenced to life in prison, according to statutes.
Patterson was being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail as of Saturday morning, jail records show.
"The defendant is not a stranger to the victim," reads a Sheriff's Office social media post. "At this point, there are no indications of any other victims."
More: Two men arrested for sex offenses on children in separate Volusia County cases
The post further stated that "Due to the nature of the allegations and the defendant's potential for interaction with children and families, the Sheriff's Office is notifying the public of his arrest."
The agency asks that anyone with additional information about this or any case involving the sexual abuse of a child is asked to contact the Child Exploitation Unit at 386-323-3574.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bait shop owner could face life in prison on child molestation charge
