Palmetto man sentenced to prison in child molestation case, prosecutors say
A Palmetto man has been sentenced to life in prison in a child molestation case, according to the Twelfth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
Sterick Jerome Nixon, 37, was convicted of lewd or lascivious molestation of a minor during a trial in March. The trial followed a crime committed between 2018 and 2021, which was investigated by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office’s Crimes Against Children unit, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
The State Attorney’s Office said that on Dec. 29, 2022, the sheriff’s office received reports of Nixon “displaying himself in a lewd of lascivious manner” to a child.
Two other children came forward during law enforcement’s investigation, saying that Nixon had “sexually abused them for several years,” according to the State Attorney’s Office.
“All three of these young ladies showed incredible courage and strength in disclosing their abuse at the hands of the defendant,” said Assistant State Attorney Scott Callin. “They showed those same qualities in bravely testifying before a jury and the defendant.”
Nixon was sentenced to life in prison and designated as a sexual predator for this case, which involved a child under 12. He also faces two additional sex crime charges tied to other child molestation allegations, and those remain pending, according to court documents.
