Justice Served: St. Augustine Mother Finds Relief as Daughter’s Abuser is Reincarcerated

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A sense of relief washed over a mother from St. Augustine after learning that the man convicted of sexually abusing her daughter is once more in jail.

Lynn Salvatore recounted how her daughter, at just 14 years old, bravely revealed the abuse inflicted by someone they had once trusted — a neighbor they considered a friend.

“At 14, she came forward and disclosed extensive abuse,” Salvatore shared. “He was also the father of two friends she frequently visited, making the betrayal even more profound.”

In 2018, 59-year-old Ethan Todd was found guilty on two counts of sexual battery and two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation. His sentence included three and a half years in prison followed by five years of probation. Furthermore, Todd must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Salvatore said she has followed his status closely through Florida’s victim notification system, known as VINE.

“I get a notification every time he’s released from custody, taken into custody, even if he’s moved from one facility to another,” Salvatore said.

On Oct. 6, Salvatore received one of those alerts. This time notifying her Todd had been taken back into custody for violating his probation.

“I made the assumption that’s what it was for because my daughter and I had contacted his probation officer the week prior to let her know that we suspected he had tried to contact her,” she said. “I was very relieved. When I got the notification, I immediately contacted my daughter, who was very pleased that he’s back in custody.”

Salvatore said her daughter had recently received a message on TikTok from a user whose screen name included Todd’s nickname, leading them to fear he was trying to reach out again. They reported the incident to authorities, prompting a warrantless search of Todd’s vehicle and phone.

“When they did the search, that’s when they found at least three violations unrelated to what we reported,” Salvatore said.

Court records show Todd was carrying several knives, including tactical and folding blades. Investigators also discovered videos of an underage girl taken without her knowledge and determined that Todd had accessed the internet, another violation of his probation terms.

“There’s nothing in this world that can make up for what he did to my daughter,” Salvatore said. “I just hope I never meet him on the street.”

Todd remains in the Duval County Jail with no bond. His next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20.

“My daughter and I are just very, very happy that right now he’s in jail,” Salvatore said.