http://orlandosentinel.com/automagic/lake/2000-09-29/LAKldcf29092900.html Former social worker arrested Stephanie Erickson of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando Sentinel on September 29, 2000 A former state Department of Children & Families child-abuse investigator has been charged with sexually abusing a boy dozens of times during the past six years, ever since the child was 2 years old. Frank Paul McCarthy, 51, was being held without bail in the Hernando County Jail Thursday, authorities said. He will eventually be transferred to the Lake County Jail because the charges against him relate to incidents at homes in Eustis, according to Lt. Cecil Garrett of the Lake Sheriff`s Office. McCarthy, who was arrested at his home in Hernando County Wednesday night, has been charged with capital sexual battery, aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment, Garrett said. Numerous charges could be added as the investigation continues, he said. McCarthy worked for DCF`s District 13 from March 1993 to January 1999, said Ron Zychowski, the district`s deputy administrator. District 13 serves children from Lake, Marion, Sumter, Hernando and Citrus counties. DCF workers from Marion County are investigating the case because many of the District 13 investigators know McCarthy. The boy`s mother and stepfather began to suspect the child had been abused because of the way he had been acting around his younger sister. They began asking the boy questions and when he began telling them what had happened, they called police. "They were convinced he was telling the truth," Garrett said. Child Advocacy Center workers interviewed the boy extensively and evidence was obtained. "There was probable cause to believe the incidents occurred," Garrett said. According to police, McCarthy performed sex acts on the child and forced the child to perform sex acts on him. "He could go to jail for the rest of his life if convicted," Garrett said. Zychowski said McCarthy resigned his job at DCF after he was jailed on domestic-violence charges. Garrett said those charges were filed soon after McCarthy`s wife filed for divorce in January 1999. McCarthy was charged with aggravated battery with great bodily harm after police found his wife covered with blood, her eye swollen shut and handfuls of hair yanked out of her head, according to reports. His wife said he had beaten her, and that he often drank, sometimes before going to work at DCF. He was eventually convicted of a lesser charge, simple battery, and sentenced to a year in jail. "He has had some personal problems that I can`t discuss," Zychowski said. "I thought we worked diligently to help him overcome those problems, and I am sorry to see he couldn`t overcome them. I`m not real happy with the fact his conduct is what it is alleged to have been." Zychowski said McCarthy`s past work with children is not a concern. "Based on what we know right now, we don`t have any reason to go back and look at his casework," he said. Posted Sep 28 2000 8:50PM ------------------------------------------------------------------------