Mike Caruso, the suspended Palm Beach County clerk accused of molesting a boy, appeared in court Wednesday wearing a blue jailhouse jumpsuit, his wrists shackled.
Aventura Police arrested Caruso on five felony charges Tuesday following a monthslong investigation into allegations that he groomed and sexually abused a young relative. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed Caruso last year and suspended him in the wake of his arrest, said he's "in for a world of hurt" if the charges stick.
Caruso's first court hearing, held at 10 a.m. at the Palm Beach County Jail, was brief. Circuit Judge Donald Hafele began the proceeding by announcing that he'd never met nor spoken to Caruso, a Republican and former state legislator.
Hafele then forbade Caruso from contacting
the boy, the boy's immediate family and anyone under the age of 18.
"Yes, sir," said Caruso, who faces charges of kidnapping, child molestation, child abuse causing mental injury, child enticement and lewd exhibition.
Hafele noted that the warrant for his arrest was a "no bond" warrant, meaning the question of bail was answered before Caruso ever walked into the courtroom. Hafele said he felt the "no bond" designation was appropriate, though it'll be a judge in Orange County, where much of the abuse is said to have occured, who has the next say.
Caruso was escorted out of the courtroom almost as quickly as he'd been escorted in. His defense attorney, Jason Weiss, said afterward that he hopes Caruso is transported quickly to Orange County.
"The sooner the better," said Weiss, the husband of Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss, a former sex crimes prosecutor. "The sooner we can get up there, the sooner we can have this bond situation looked at."
Caruso, a DeSantis appointee, was 'well regarded,' governor said
Investigators say the abuse came to light in October after the boy's father saw his son behaving in a sexualized manner with a sibling. The father intervened and questioned the boy, who then explained that Caruso — a Boy Scouts troop leader and Little League coach of more than 30 years — had behaved similarly toward him.
The boy recalled moments in which Caruso reportedly separated the boy from his family, once under the guise of taking him for ice cream, and assaulted him in private.
Investigators say the boy's parents confronted Caruso, who denied wrongdoing and urged the family not to involve police. He argued the allegations were impossible because sexual attraction is directed toward one sex, he said, and since he is attracted to women, he could not be a sex offender.
Caruso also suggested his "evil" ex-wife had fabricated the allegations to "poison" the child against him. He made similar claims during his 2012 divorce proceedings from his first wife, telling a judge he'd been forbidden from seeing one of his sons on account of a "false sexual abuse" claim his wife made against him.
Asked Tuesday whether the governor or his staff flagged any prior misconduct allegations while vetting Caruso, DeSantis said, "Of course not."
"He had a clean vet," DeSantis said. "He was well-regarded in the community."
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Suspended clerk Mike Caruso in court after child molestation arrest
