Honk News (Baldwin County, FL) – A Florida man has been charged by Baldwin County Sheriff’s deputies with several offenses, including rape, sodomy, and willful abuse/torture of a child. This follows the report from the supposed victim, who stepped forward months after authorities indicated that the abuse started.
A 22-year-old man from Cantonment, FL, named Gavin Orlando Jernigan, was apprehended on his outstanding warrants in Escambia County last week. He was taken into custody and placed in the Baldwin County Jail over the weekend in Florida.
Jernigan faced the court for the first time following his arrest on Monday, January 13, 2025. Prior to determining the bond amount, Judge Bill Scully heard the specifics of the case presented by the prosecution. A troubling account has emerged detailing a case of persistent abuse involving an individual familiar to Jernigan, who reportedly endured forcible rape and other forms of sexual abuse starting in June of 2024.
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“There’s several allegations and we expect there to be a lot of…some additional charges to come out of Grand Jury as far as counts and things but it goes from everything from incapacitation, when our adult victim was incapacitated through forcible compulsion,” explained Capt. Daniel Steelman with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators report that the suspected assaults occurred within the victim’s residence in a non-incorporated area of the county. Prosecutors informed the court that Jernigan exploited the victim’s child as a means of manipulation.
“The act of shaking the child was a clear indication of his intent to inflict harm, which forms the basis of our charges of willful torture and abuse, all aimed at coercing her into engaging in sexual relations with him,” Steelman stated.
The bond amount for Gavin Jernigan has been established at $231,000. If he secures that bond, he will continue to be under GPS house arrest and is prohibited from any contact with the mother or child. The deadline for him to request a preliminary hearing is set for February 12, 2025.