TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (EYT) — A Shippenville man who is wanted on 865 charges related to the rape of a child in Clarion County was apprehended today in Florida.
According to a report released by the Clarion-based State Police, 46-year-old Garrick Landon Bloom was apprehended by U.S. Marshals around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 7, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Investigators say after working in conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service, police learned of Bloom’s “traveling methods” and found that he traveled to Florida.
Bloom was located in a homeless shelter in Tallahassee where he was taken into custody.
He is currently lodged at the Leon County Jail in Tallahassee.
The following charges were filed against Bloom on January 16 at Magisterial District Judge Amy Long Turk’s office:
- Rape of a Child, Felony 1 (216 counts)
- Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse with a Child, Felony 1 (216 counts)
- Aggravated Indecent Assault of Child, Felony 1 (216 counts)
- Statutory Sexual Assault, Felony 2 (216 counts)
- Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Felony 3
According to a criminal complaint, Clarion County Children and Youth Services reported to Clarion-based State Police on October 25, 2018, that a known juvenile male was being sexually assaulted by Bloom.
The criminal complaint states that the victim told investigators that he was forced to perform oral sex on Bloom on numerous occasions.
Court records indicate that Bloom began to “groom” the victim when he was five-years-old and continued to sexually assault him for several years.
The criminal complaint states that Bloom first denied committing the crimes; however, he later admitted to sexually assaulting the boy.
A warrant was issued for Bloom’s arrest on January 16.
EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Extreme graphic details were not included due to the sexual nature of the alleged crimes.
EDITOR’S NOTE 2: Several details were removed from this article to help protect the identity of the victim.
