Mike Caruso, the suspended Palm Beach County clerk of courts who was arrested on child sexual abuse charges on Tuesday, now faces a hearing over whether he can be released on bond in Orlando.
Caruso was extradited to Orlando after making his first appearance in Palm Beach County on Wednesday. Clad in a jumpsuit, he made his first appearance in an Orange County courtroom on Thursday afternoon, represented by attorney Jason Weiss.
Judge Brian Duckworth denied Caruso bond and set a pretrial detention hearing for 9 a.m. Tuesday. Caruso was again ordered to have no contact with the victim or any witnesses in the case.
“Yes, your honor,” he said. Caruso is also forbidden from contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Mike Caruso, 67, was transferred to the Orange County Jail on Wednesday. He is facing charges of kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse (mental injury). (Orange County Corrections Department/Courtesy)
The former clerk of courts is facing five felony counts related to the abuse of a young family member: kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse (mental injury). The sexual abuse began in 2024 and continued until at least August 2025, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The victim of the sexual abuse was a boy under the age of 12, according to the affidavit. The boy lives in Orange County, and the affidavit describes specific encounters between Caruso and the child on a fishing trip, on a cruise out of Miami and during a holiday gathering.