‘I have done some really bad things.’ Man admits to abusing child, Sarasota cops say

A 54-year-old Sarasota man has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12 after the victim came forward seven years after the abuse began.

Kevin Babbidge was arrested Wednesday, telling deputies “I have done some really bad things and I want to kill myself,” according to the arrest report.

Deputies say the victim was 10 years old when the abuse began and that it lasted until she was 12.

The victim’s mother forced Babbidge to leave the home after the young girl told her what was going on, but the abuse wasn’t reported to law enforcement because the victim begged her mother not to, for fear she would be victimized all over again, the report states.

The now 17-year-old girl still struggled to relive the abuse, telling deputies through tears, “I can’t go through this again,” when the investigation began in October, the report states.

She summoned the courage to tell her story on Dec. 17. An arrest warrant was obtained and Babbidge was taken into custody the next day.

Babbidge was booked into the Sarasota County jail where he remains on a $25,000 bond.