According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief…

According to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Derrick O’Meara, who is the Director of the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, a 56 year old Utica man has been charged with having inappropriate sexual contact with an underage female child in the City of Utica. The investigation began on May 23, 2025, when a report was received by the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, alleging that John A. DeCarlo III, age 55 (at the time of the report) had subjected a female child to sexual contact. Once the Child Advocacy Center was notified of this incident, Detective Alexis Perry of the Rome Police Department, who is assigned to the Child Advocacy Center, was then assigned to this case. As a result of the investigation, it was learned that John DeCarlo, now 56 years old and formerly of Utica, N.Y., had subjected a female child less than eleven years old to sexual contact at a residence in Utica, and the abuse continued until she was 14 years old. The investigation was then turned over to the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office and the case was presented to the Oneida County Grand Jury in November of 2025. The Grand Jury returned an indictment against DeCarlo on the following charges: 1 Count of Rape in the 2nd Degree, a Class D Felony1 Count of Criminal Sex Act in the 2nd Degree, a Class D Felony1 Count of Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the 2nd Degree, a Class D Felony1 Count of Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, an A Misdemeanor2 Counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Class A Misdemeanors As a result of the indictment, a Superior Court Warrant of Arrest was issued for DeCarlo and received by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit. The OCSO Warrants Unit, which is comprised of Task Force Officers with the United States Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, then requested assistance from the United States Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, Hollywood Police Department (FL) and Broward County Sheriff’s Office (FL), when it was learned that DeCarlo was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On Wednesday, December 10, 2025, DeCarlo was located at a residence in Fort Lauderdale and taken into custody on the warrant by the members of the U.S. Marshals Service. On Saturday, December 20, 2025, DeCarlo was extradited from Broward County, Florida, and returned to Oneida County, New York. On Monday, December 22, 2025, DeCarlo was arraigned in Oneida County Court and remanded to the Oneida County Correctional Facility in lieu of $25,000 cash bail. An Order of Protection has been issued on behalf of the victim and services have been offered to the child through the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center.