Local man surrenders in child sex abuse case

A Maricopa man has surrendered to police in a May 2020 sexual molestation case involving a girl under the age of 15.

John Watkins turned himself in to Maricopa Police at 1:17 p.m. Dec. 1 and was transported to the Pinal County Jail in Florence. He has been charged with sexual conduct with a minor under 15, molestation of a child, and sexual abuse.

The complaint was initiated in April when the victim told the Arizona Department of Children’s Services that she had been sexually abused by Watkins in May of 2020 at her residence on W. Parkhill Drive in Maricopa. According to police documents, the victim reported that Watkins, whose relationship with the victim is unclear, searched her cell phone and found what he deemed inappropriate content.

Watkins said he did not want to tell the victim’s mother what he had found on the phone, but if she was old enough to look at that type of content, then she was grown. He then called her into her bedroom, began hugging and caressing her, and proceeded to sexually molest her.

In March of 2021, Watkins admitted in front of five witnesses at a home on W. Papago Road to abusing the victim the previous year. Three of the five witnesses were interviewed by police and confirmed that he had made the admission of committing the abuse.