Michael Caruso, the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, was arrested Tuesday morning on charges related to child sex abuse. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an order suspending Caruso soon after.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into Caruso's alleged crimes is ongoing. He did not say where Caruso was arrested, what prompted the investigation nor how old the child involved is.
"We will provide more information to the public at the appropriate time," Uthmeier wrote.
A call to Caruso's cell phone Tuesday went immediately to voicemail, followed by an alert that his inbox is full and cannot receive additional messages.
DeSantis appointed Caruso, a 67-year-old Republican and former state
legislator, to serve as the clerk and comptroller in August. He is running for re-election in November. Because no other Republican is vying for the spot, Caruso is not on Tuesday's primary ballot.
Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts employees learned of Caruso's arrest Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the office.
"This morning, our office was notified that Clerk Mike Caruso was arrested on serious criminal charges," the statement said. "We are awaiting additional information from the Governor's office on next steps."
The office said the news would not affect its operations or service to the public.
"While this is surprising news for our entire team, it does not change who we are at the Clerk's office or our commitment to the community and customers we serve," the statement said.
This is a breaking news article. Check back for updates.
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: Palm Beach County Clerk Caruso arrested on child sex abuse charges
