Former JSO officer arrest: Child psychologist speaks about trauma to children
Action News Jax has obtained Josue Garriga’s arrest warrant, which reveals disturbing new details of the incidents that led up to his arrest. Former JSO officer, Josue Garriga, has been arrested on sexual assault charges for allegedly having sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. The arrest warrant reveals disturbing new details about the incidents leading up to Garriga's arrest. The victim, who was found unconscious on her bed after talking on the phone with Garriga and admitted to attempting suicide after a conversation with him. Child therapist Dr. Theresa Rulien, CEO and President of the Child Guidance Center, discusses the trauma of such a relationship between adults and children, calling it a "spiritual assault" and a physical assault. She encourages parents to have open communication with their children and make all conversations acceptable and normal.
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Published : 4 weeks ago by Annette Gutierrez in Health
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax has obtained Josue Garriga’s arrest warrant, which reveals disturbing new details of the incidents that led up to his arrest.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office had arrested the now former JSO officer on sexual assault charges, Wednesday.
The arrest warrant says the 17-year-old victim had almost taken her life after talking on the phone with man later identified to be 34-year-old’s Josue Garriga.
It says on March 7th, the mom found her teenage daughter “unconscious on her bed with a note in her hand.” After waking up, the victim admitted to trying to take her own life.
“It’s a spiritual assault, as well as a physical assault,” child therapist Dr. Theresa Rulien.
ORIGINAL STORY: Former JSO officer arrested in Clay County, accused of sexual activity with 17-year-old girl
Dr. Rulien is the CEO and President of the Child Guidance Center has over 40 years of experience as a child therapist. She says teenagers are not fully developed, and the victim child is not at fault in a situation like this.
“Not only do we have an adult and a child, there’s a power difference there, but now we’ve got an authority figure and a child -- another power difference,” Dr. Rulien said. “And we know that children are not developed enough yet to be able to say, wait a minute, this is wrong.”
The document says soon after, the victim’s mom began investigating -- and found text messages from someone named “Sway.”
It says the mom knew of someone with that name from her church. And her pastor told her it was 34-year-old Josue Garriga -- a JSO officer who was in the gang unit at the time.
That’s when the mom called the Clay County Sheriff’s Office to investigate.
Deputies found 350 phone and video calls between the two of them from last October to this month.
The arrest warrant says the victim told detectives she had met Garriga several times near her house and at a coffee shop in Orange Park, where they performed sexual acts while they were inside his truck.
READ: Former JSO officer arrested in Clay County, accused of sexual activity with 17-year-old girl
Investigators said he used WhatsApp to send nude photos of himself and asked her for pictures in return.
The victim told detectives, they would even have muted FaceTime calls of her in the shower, while he was “in the bathroom at his house so that his wife could not hear.”
“It’s disgusting,” human trafficking victim Sandra Shin said. “And to know that he’s an officer, somebody who’s he should be able to trust.”
Hope 4 Freedom founder, Sandra Shin, went through a similar experience when she was 11 years old, and says healing will take time.
“Because it’s going to haunt her,” Shin said. “It’s not something that we get over easily… There is healing in the hurt.”
Dr. Rulien encourages parents to have open communication with their children.
“As a parent or a guardian, let your kids know, I’ve always got your back, I will always be on your side,” Dr. Rulien said. “You’re gonna make some mistakes, and maybe you have some poor judgment, but that doesn’t matter, I’ve always got your back.”
She says it’s never too early to start having those conversations. Dr. Rulien says make all conversations acceptable and normal now.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide or any kind of self-harm, or maybe you just need to talk to someone, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
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