ORLANDO, Fla. (CBS12) — Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Mike Caruso made his first appearance in an Orlando courtroom, following his arrest earlier this week on child sex charges.
Caruso said very little during the hearing Thursday afternoon which lasted about two minutes.
The judge ordered Caruso not to have any contact with the victim or witnesses in the case.
Caruso, 67, is accused of molesting a child under 12 who is a family relative multiple times between November 2024 and August 2025.
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“This little boy has been harmed irreparably. There was an individual in his life that he trusted and that person destroyed his trust, destroyed the trust of his family and he caused harm that is ongoing for the foreseeable future,” said Lisa Haba, an attorney for the victim.
“We anticipate that as many abuse victims do, he may need extended treatment for the foreseeable future, if not the rest of his life,” Haba explained.
She confirmed that Caruso was at one time a Little League coach and Boy Scout leader.
“Do you have reason to believe that there may be additional victims?” we asked Haba. “It’s hard to know at this time. Obviously, whenever somebody has been accused of crimes like this, that’s always a possibility. So we intend to fully explore that,” Haba said.
The judge ruled that Caruso will continue to be held without bond. A pretrial detention hearing is scheduled for August 25 at 9am.