A Palm Coast man who was arrested in Texas in November 2025 on a Flagler County warrant for child sex crimes has been sentenced following a guilty plea. Giovanni Curtis, 22, appeared before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols on June 24, 2026, and pleaded guilty to two counts of child abuse. Judge Nichols withheld adjudication and sentenced Curtis to 10 years of sex offender probation as part of a plea agreement. As conditions of his release, Curtis is required to register as a sex offender and is prohibited from having unsupervised contact with minors, consuming alcohol, using drugs, and has restricted internet access for the duration of his probation. Curtis was released from the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility following sentencing.
The case dates back to a six-month investigation led by the FCSO Major Case Unit that began in May 2025, after a parent of one of the victims came forward and reported the abuse to detectives. The parent told investigators that Curtis had inappropriately touched the child’s genitals multiple times over several years and had performed a sex act on another victim. The parent also reported that when confronted about the abuse, Curtis admitted to touching other children as well. With assistance from the United States Army Criminal Investigations Division, FCSO detectives traveled to El Paso, Texas, where Curtis was located. During interviews, Curtis admitted to the allegations, and detectives recovered additional information that corroborated witness statements and documented years of abuse across multiple jurisdictions. Investigators determined that Curtis was 13 years old at the time the crimes occurred in Flagler County.
Curtis was arrested by the El Paso Police Department in November 2025 on a Flagler County fugitive warrant for sexual battery on a victim under the age of 12. He was initially held at the El Paso County Detention Facility on a $150,000 bond before being extradited to Flagler County. At the time of his arrest, Sheriff Rick Staly addressed the case directly. “This arrest shows that time does not erase the trauma caused by predators who victimize and steal the innocence away from young children, and being a child yourself does not provide you immunity from the law,” said Staly. “Our detectives will continue to pursue justice for victims no matter how long it takes. I commend these young children for speaking up to hold this child predator accountable. Their brave actions may have prevented others from becoming victims.”
Following the sentencing, Sheriff Staly acknowledged the outcome of the plea agreement while expressing support for the victims involved. “While we do not believe the outcome of this case is fitting for his heinous acts, we support the victims’ wishes in this case and pray they may find comfort and healing now that the legal proceedings are behind them,” said Staly. “Not going to trial saves the victim from being traumatized again, which is critical for the health, well-being and future of the victim.”
The post Palm Coast Man Sentenced to 10 Years’ Probation After Pleading Guilty to Child Sex Crimes first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
