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Man accused of molesting girl

Authorities say he sexually battered the girl in October. He says any touching was accidental.

By JAMAL THALJI
Published August 12, 2005

WESLEY CHAPEL - After seven months of silence, it was the nightmares that finally made the girl tell her story.

She was 7 when a man sexually battered her twice in October, a sheriff's report states. The first time he held her mouth so she couldn't scream anymore, the report states. The second time he said if she told anyone, he would kill her.

In her nightmares, he kept his word. It wasn't until April that the girl told a school counselor.

Ten months after the alleged battery, Christopher Higginbotham is in jail.

The Wesley Chapel man was arrested Wednesday and charged with capital sexual battery, lewd or lascivious molestation and violation of probation.

The 33-year-old carpenter was out of prison just five months before the alleged battery. He has a long criminal history dating to 1989, serving time for offenses such as aggravated assault with a weapon, using a false name and issuing worthless checks. He violated his probation on 2001 convictions in kidnapping, burglary and domestic battery cases.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office did not release the girl's name because of the nature of the allegations. Nor was her relationship to Higginbotham disclosed.

According to a sheriff's detective's report, in July the victim started therapy at the Harbor Behavioral Healthcare Institute in Dade City.

Both incidents happened in the last two weeks of October, the report said.

Higginbotham, then 32, inappropriately touched her, the report said. The girl tried to fight back.

"She stated she slapped his hand and screamed no," the detective wrote. "She stated the defendant then put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet."

Higginbotham then sexually battered the girl, the report said.

In the second incident, he also tried to keep her quiet, the report said.

"She stated he threatened to kill her if she told anyone," the detective wrote.

In December 2004 a circuit judge issued a protective injunction against Higginbotham, according to the sheriff's report.

The sheriff's child protective team examined the girl, the report said, and confirmed "the allegation of sexual abuse."

The accused told the detective any touching was accidental, according to the report.

"The defendant admitted to possibly touching her while playing basketball," the detective wrote.

Higginbotham, of 6134 Saddletree Drive, is being held in the Pasco County jail in lieu of $127,500 bail.

[Last modified August 12, 2005, 00:47:15]