ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The U.S. Marshals Service arrested 41-year-old Micah Eugene Hatcher after the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office says he had inappropriate sexual relations with a disabled resident in a group home where he worked.
The arrest warrant says that Hatcher was known to the victim as a caregiver at Out and About People Incorporated in St. Augustine. The report says Hatcher was in a position of trust and responsible for the care of up to six vulnerable adults.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office says the victim was a vulnerable adult diagnosed with multiple conditions that affect his judgment and make him incapable of consenting to sexual acts.
The report says that the inappropriate relationship began in April of this year and lasted about two months.
The warrant reads that Hatcher would justify the inappropriate behavior by offering the victim things like a PlayStation 5, an iPhone and a debit card. The victim says he never received the first two items.
The report says that Hatcher would wake up the victim in the middle of the night for sexual acts and even brought him back to his house for sexual intercourse. The victim says this happened at least five times.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Text messages between Hatcher and the victim reveal sexually explicit language, with Hatcher going as far as convincing the victim that he was pregnant with the victim’s child.
“It’s heartbreaking, but this is why we have such an issue with trust,” said Shannon Hube, a disability advocate and mother of two autistic children. “Every family deserves to know that people caring for their loved ones will protect them and not exploit them.”
Hube says she hopes this case sheds light on a greater issue.
“The answer isn’t to stop trusting everyone,” Hube said. “It’s to build systems that make abuse harder to hide and easier to report.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Right now, Hatcher is facing three felony charges: Sexual Battery of a person between 12 and 18 years old, lewd or lascivious offense committed on a disabled person, and sexual misconduct with a vulnerable adult.
Action News Jax is waiting on details about the other felony charges.
Hatcher is being held at the Clay County Jail on a one million dollar bond.Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.