GIFFORD — A Gifford man was arrested, accused of fondling a girl in exchange for allowing her to drive his truck, according to authorities.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office arrested Rochell McGriff, 56, of 4215 29th Ave., on Oct. 22 on a charge of felony lewd and lascivious molestation.
According to the arrest warrant, the victim says she was molested between the ages of 13 and 18, during which McGriff touched her inappropriately over her clothes.
She told investigators that the most vivid memory of the molestation came when she wanted to drive the suspect’s truck.
“He stated she could drive the truck if he could ‘feel’ on her,” the arrest report states.
The molestation allegations came to light after the pastor of the victim’s church shared e-mails from the victim with a relative, according to the report.
Prior to then, the victim had told the relative about the molestation and the relative confronted the suspect who denied the accusations.
“She was suspicious, but didn’t take that matter any further,” the report said of the relative. “When she got a call from her church pastor telling her that (the victim) was e-mailing a church member about the molestation, she felt it might be true if she (the victim) was telling someone else about it.”
After hearing from the pastor, the relative took the victim to the Sheriff’s Office to file a report.
During the investigation, McGriff denied several times touching the teen.
“When I (the investigator) asked him if he ever thought about touching (the victim), at first he denied that he thought about it, then later said he thought about it but would never do it,” the report states.
McGriff later told investigators that he touched the victim on her breasts and thighs but only on the outside of her clothing, which is consistent with the victim’s statement, according to the report. He also said that the victim was younger than 18 but that he never touched her when she was 13.
McGriff is being held in the county jail on $10,000 bond.
