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On Sunday, 20-year-old accused child abuser Samuel Shirk allegedly attacked a deputy after his arrest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
According to NBC Miami, Samuel Shirk is allegedly a serial offender charged with s*xually abusing numerous children across several months. After his arrest, he was booked into Broward County jail at 2 a.m.
As per the Daily Beast, while being questioned by authorities, Shirk asked to use the restroom. As he was escorted back from the restroom by a female deputy, he allegedly attacked her before being restrained by another detective.
The official incident report read:
"After being questioned by detectives at the BSO Public Safety Building, Shirk asked to use the restroom. After using the restroom and re-entering a holding cell and while handcuffed, Shirk attacked a BSO deputy."
It added:
"As the deputy screamed for help, a BSO detective came to her aid. Both BSO employees were able to subdue Shirk and place him in a holding cell."
Samuel Shirk is facing 10 criminal charges. These include child abuse, inappropriate videos, displaying a firearm, assaulting an officer, and attempted escape.
Samuel Shirk's list of crimes may have new additions
According to Fox News, Florida authorities believe that Samuel Shirk may be involved in other abuse cases that have not yet been discovered.
The Daily Beast reported that he was only caught after the parents of one of his alleged victims called the police, leading to an investigation that uncovered numerous accusations.
In the arrest report, authorities stated that at least one of the abuse cases occurred while Shirk was staying with the child and their mother. During this time, he allegedly abused the child and took inappropriate videos.
Child Abuse in Florida
In 2018, the final year data was properly collated, The Florida Network of Children's Advocacy Centers (FNCAC) reported that over 34000 children were victims of either neglect or child abuse.
The FNCAC did note, however, that this number should be taken with a grain of salt. The FNCAC also reported that roughly 30-40% of child abuse victims do not report what is happening to them.
As per Kids Health, contrary to the widespread fear of "stranger danger," most cases of abuse and exploitation are perpetrated by people the victim may know and trust. This could be through a family friend, a relative, or a trusted authority figure.
Moreover, child abuse can have long-lasting results. Not only will it lead to lifelong trauma, but the Office of National Statistics reported that victims of child abuse are also more likely to get abused as adults.
