Ocala, FL – On August 14, 2025, a Marion County jury found 26-year-old Terry Eugene Hartsock III guilty of Lewd and Lascivious Battery in a case involving a 13-year-old female juvenile.
The case began on October 22, 2022, when the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received a report of a missing 13-year-old girl. The juvenile’s mother stated her daughter was last seen on their home porch at approximately 10 p.m. after attending a fall festival. Authorities issued a BOLO and conducted an emergency ping of the juvenile’s cellphone, which last pinged near I-75 in Ocala. Text messages from the juvenile suggested she may have been picked up by Hartsock.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) was notified, and an address for Hartsock was obtained, leading authorities to a camper trailer in an RV park off Silver Springs Blvd. HCSO and MCSO deputies responded to the location. Hartsock initially did not open the door but eventually allowed contact, and the juvenile was found inside the camper’s bedroom.
After being reunited with her parents, the juvenile reported sexual acts committed by Hartsock inside the camper. A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) examination was conducted, and DNA evidence collected from the juvenile matched Hartsock’s DNA.
The trial was presided over by Judge Barbara Kissner-Kwatkosky. Assistant State Attorney Katrina Self prosecuted the case.
Source: Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
