Courtesy photo/Jail mug. New Smyrna Beach resident Charles Gardiner III was arrested Thursday on charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Charles Gardiner III insisted that he cared about the 13-year-old girl he had befriended and thought he was doing something good by being there for her and engaging in unlawful sex with her, the Volusia County Sherioff's Office said in announcing his arrest.
"To 35-year-old Gardiner, being there apparently included treating her like a girlfriend, having sex with the girl and buying her jewelry," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. "While the sex occurred approximately two years ago and continued for a period of about six months, it never came to light until last week. After obtaining a confession from Gardiner, Volusia County Sheriff's investigators arrested him Thursday afternoon on a charge of lewd or lascivious battery."
Gardiner will be transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach and held on $10,000 bond.
They victim, now 16, said she first began to get to know Gardiner about two years ago through a family acquaintance. But after a while, their casual conversations took an ominous turn when -- according to the victim -- Gardiner started making veiled threats about harming the girl's family.
The victim said Gardiner then used the threats to coerce her into having sex with him, Davidson said.
"Over the next six months, the girl said the two engaged in sex acts numerous times, sometimes at her house in the county jurisdiction, but more frequently at his house in the city of New Smyrna Beach," Davidson said. "The girl said the relationship made her uncomfortable, but that she didn't know how to stop it. The girl never told anyone at the time, but she recently said she saw Gardiner and he started rubbing her leg and talking about their past acts."
The encounter made the girl so uncomfortable that last week she confided in her mother and also sought help from a friend and a deputy who works at the school the girl attends.
During the investigation, the victim's mother said she suspected at the time that something was going on between Gardiner and her daughter because he was at her house a lot, spent a lot of time with her daughter, sent her frequent text messages and bought her jewelry, Davidson said.
"She eventually told Gardiner that he wasn't allowed at the house anymore," Davidson said. "She said she questioned her daughter at the time, but she denied anything was going on. Based on the findings of the investigation, Gardiner would hold hands with the victim and kiss her and essentially treat her as his girlfriend, to the point where his youngest daughter on occasion would call the victim 'Mom.' The victim also said that Gardiner tried to get her to watch pornographic movies with him, but she refused.
After being confronted earlier this week with the allegations, Gardiner admitted to Sheriff's investigators that he had sex with the girl, Davidson said
Gardiner also said that he loved his wife and didn't want to lose her and that he thought he was doing something good by being there for the victim, Davidson said.
Based on the findings of the investigation, which included assistance from the New Smyrna Beach Police Department and the Florida Department of Children & Families, Sheriff's investigator Beth Fortin obtained a warrant on Thursday for Gardiner's arrest. The warrant was issued by Circuit Court Judge James R. Clayton.
Gardiner was taken into custody at his home, 1102 S. Orange St. at about 3:20 p.m.
Sheriff's investigators are continuing to look into Gardiner's background and are concerned that there could be additional victims. Anyone with information is asked to call investigator Fortin at (386) 423-3301.