A man who sexually abused his 11-year-old step-daughter repeatedly forty-three years ago, was arrested today at his home in Lake Worth, Polk County deputies said.
67-year-old Robert Joseph “Joe” Gallager is accused of sexually abusing his step-daughter from the time she was 11 years until she was 15, in the home they shared in Lakeland.
The victim told detectives Gallager threatened to burn the house down or to cut the brake lines on her mother’s car if she told anyone.
The victim also told investigators she became pregnant by Gallager at the age of 14 years and gave birth to a baby boy at 15 years, on May 5, 1973. The child died one day later and was buried at Lakeside Memorial Park in Winter Haven.
Gallager told the victim to make up a story regarding the pregnancy–that she was drugged by a boy at Crystal Lake Park in Lakeland–which she told her mother and it was never questioned.
The victim told investigators Gallager tried to continue the sexual abuse after the pregnancy, but she threatened to tell her mother.
During the early 90’s, when the victim was in her 30’s (she was born in 1958), the victim reported the abuse to her mother and her sister, at the advice of her psychiatrist.
Investigators said, last year the victim began asking her sister to help her report the crimes to detectives in Georgia where she currently lives.
Crimes of this nature – capital offenses which occurred in 1969 — have no statute of limitations and yesterday, the case was presented to a grand jury.
Gallager was indicted by the grand jury on one count of felony capital rape and one count of forcible carnal knowledge, in line with 1969 statutes.
Today, April 20, Polk County detectives, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Palm Beach County deputies arrested Gallager at his home without incident.
Gallager made a full confession to the sexual abuse against his then-stepdaughter and agreed to return to Polk County to be booked into the jail there.
“This is the oldest case we have ever prosecuted in Polk County, to the best of our knowledge, and it is also one of the most horrific cases we have ever investigated,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “…We are proud of this victim for being so brave, and it is our desire that Joe Gallagher spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Now the real healing begins for this woman!
Great that it happened since it actually happened to the girl. But what about men who are accused falsely and lose family, job and all else on the whim of a girl with an ax to grind? Unproven charges can ruin a mans life and there is NO RECOURSE for the man in such cases. Clue me in if I am wrong. Victims work both ways.