PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. -- A Putnam County church deacon working as a handyman was recently arrested after detectives said he sexually abused the women he was hired to help.
Investigators said 64-year-old Jim Bruce took advantage of two different women he knew from the College Park Baptist Church in Palatka.
They said Bruce was very trusted by the women he's accused of abusing because not only was he a church member, he was also a deacon at the church.
"(It's) despicable, disturbing -- this is somebody that they trust," said Putnam County Sheriff's Office Maj. Keith Riddick. "He would be helpful, cheerful, pleasant, and the whole while he was planning to do what he did."
According to police, Bruce was a handyman who did odd jobs around the women's homes. They said one of the women had recently lost her husband.
"It would go from just being a business relationship, and he'd start calling and dropping in unannounced and all that. The conversations eventually turned to sex," Riddick said.
Deputies said things soon went from words to actions. According to police, Bruce forced himself on his victims.
Investigators said he exposed himself and fondled one woman, but the woman was able to fight Bruce off. They said a second victim was sexually battered.
"Their friends knew him and spoke highly of him. Everybody they knew spoke highly of him, so it was somebody they did trust," Riddick said.
Bruce is charged with attempted sexual battery and sexual battery. He was released from jail on $5,000 bond.
While there was no answer at Bruce's home, his wife told Channel 4 via telephone that her husband is innocent.
If convicted, Bruce could face up to life in prison.