PALATKA, Fla. — A 57-year-old Hawthorne man and a firefighter paramedic with Marion County Fire Rescue was arrested at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office on molestation charges while he attempted to file an application with PCSO.
Murrel Liverman Jr. was charged Friday morning with lewd and lascivious molestation by a person 18 years or older on a victim less than 12.
A release said Liverman was arrested while following up with an application to work as a reserve member with the the sheriff's office.
Detectives received an anonymous tip that was submitted to the state hotline referencing possible abuse between Liverman and the victim.
The victim later told deputies the abuse started about a year earlier and on several occasions, "Liverman would put his hands down the victim’s pants when there were no other adults nearby," the sheriff's office said.
Detectives received a warrant for Liverman’s arrest Wednesday and decided that asking him to come in for an interview for the reserve position was the safest way to bring him into custody.
Liverman is being held in Putnam County Jail on a $250,000 bond, the sheriff's office said.
The sheriff's office's investigation is ongoing.
