Florida Judge Jeffrey Ashton accused of child abuse, Gov. DeSantis exec. order reveals

A Florida judge who was a prosecutor in the Casey Anthony trial and a former state attorney has been accused of child abuse, according to Governor Ron DeSantis.

Judge Jeffrey Ashton of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, which includes Orlando, is facing allegations of "lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 16" and failure to report child abuse, according to an executive order by Gov. DeSantis issued Oct. 11.

State Attorney Andrew Bain notified DeSantis of the allegations, according to the executive order, which reassigned the investigation and potential prosecution to the Tenth Circuit State Attorney to avoid a conflict of interest. Bain was appointed as state attorney in August after DeSantis ousted Democrat Monique Worrell.

WFTV reported that the Winter Park Police Department confirmed that they are investigating the allegations, but no charges have been brought against Ashton.

A representative from Bain's office declined to elaborate on the allegations and how Bain became aware of them, saying that criminal cases originate with law enforcement. Bain's office directed all questions to the Tenth Judicial Circuit. The Tenth Judicial Circuit and the Tenth Circuit State Attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Ashton's office directed questions to a private attorney, who also was not available for comment Monday morning.

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Who is Florida Judge Jeffrey Ashton?

Ashton is a former state attorney. He was elected in 2012, but he lost his seat in 2016, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

He came into office after making a name for himself as a lead prosecutor on the Casey Anthony murder trial.

While in office as state attorney, he was embroiled in controversy for frequenting Ashley Madison, a website primarily used by married people looking to have a discreet affair, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

He was elected to the judicial bench in 2018, serving on domestic violence cases from 2019-2020 before his current assignment on civil cases.

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