Detectives: Dunedin Man Had Sex With Four Girls Younger Than 12

A Dunedin man had sex with four girls younger than 12 who were in his care, and he may have other victims, detectives said Tuesday.

Darrell B. Lawson, 39, faces six counts of capital sexual battery on a child under 12, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported.

Two of the victims told an aunt that Lawson "engaged both of them in sexual activity" from the time they were 6 to 9 years old, detectives said. The girls are now 11 and 12.

The sheriff's office began investigating last month after the alleged crimes were reported. Detectives later found that Lawson allegedly had sex with another victim between 1995 and 1996, when she was 10 years old, and with a fourth victim, from 2004-07, when she was between the ages of 11 and 14.

And authorities say Lawson may have had other victims. They ask anyone with information to contact Detective Eugene Paniccia of the Crimes Against Children Unit at 727-582-6200.

Lawson was arrested around 5:50 p.m. Monday at his home in the 400 block of Lexingon Street without incident, officials said. He was taken to Pinellas County Jail, where he was being held on $900,000 bond.

The investigation is ongoing.