A Bunnell man is facing felony child abuse charges after deputies said he smacked a girl's buttocks and was trying to talk to children near a bus stop.

  • William Walsh, 52, of Bunnell charged with felony child abuse
  • Deputies say he smacked girl on buttocks near bus stop
  • He'd been approaching other kids at bus stop, investigators say
  • Deputies: Walsh was wearing kids' underwear when arrested

During a consensual search, the man, William Walsh, 52, was found to be carrying children's underwear and wearing girls underwear, a charging affidavit states.

According to the document, Walsh was riding a bicycle on a sidewalk at the intersection of Highway 100 and McCormick Drive on Jan. 31 when a girl approached coming the other way. Walsh said, "Hey, let me get some of that," and when he passed, he slapped her on the buttocks.

Then, on Friday, deputies were approached by a parent whose 8-year-old girl catches a school bus at the intersection. The parent said her child had been approached by a man who had a drawing of a dog and who asked the girl to help him find it.

“I’ve been a sworn cop in Florida for over 40 years now, and this is a textbook example of how child pedophiles start,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.

In both incidents, and after speaking to other kids who got on and off the bus at that intersection, investigators concluded that a man who appeared to be in his late 40s with a scruffy beard, baseball cap and riding a blue bicycle had been trying to talk to children there when adults weren't present.

Later that day, a deputy observing that intersection spotted a man on a bicycle there fitting that description. The man, later identified as Walsh, had two plastic bags hanging from the bike's handle bars with children's underwear inside.

The girl in the Jan. 31 incident identified Walsh in a photo lineup, deputies said.

Walsh admitted to speaking to the girl but denied smacking her on the buttocks, the report stated. He also denied speaking to children at the bus stop.

“If there are other victims out there we clearly want to know, and we can get help for your child if they’ve been traumatized by it,” said Staly.

Anyone with information on other cases should call Flagler County Sheriff's Office.