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76-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting girl for years in Wildwood, police say

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — A man was arrested after police said he sexually assaulted a young girl during the mid 1970s into the 1980s.

Wildwood police said 76-year-old Joseph Boone abused the victim when she was between the ages of 3 and 12 years old in the 300 block of Stewart Street.

The victim, who is now 48, came forward in October of 2018.

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"It was hard for her to recall all of the events, but she was very specific on several of them," said one official.

After interviewing the victim, police began their search for Boone and tracked him down to Vidalia, Georgia.

Boone eventually confessed to the crimes after detectives traveled to Georgia to interview him, according to police.

"He had a rough memory of the events, but after several hours he finally confessed," said an official.

Police believe there could possibly be more victims.

Boone is awaiting extradition to Sumter County to face charges of sex battery on a child.

Sex battery on a child is a capital offense, meaning it does not have a statue of limitations in Florida.

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