MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested Wednesday after an investigation revealed he raped a child “nearly every night” for over a month in 2024, a release states. 

Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested 41-year-old Phillip James Locker Thursday. 

When interviewed by detectives, the child victim told them that Locker raped her “nearly every night” from the middle of June 2024 to the end of July while she and her siblings were staying at his home in Dunnellon, Florida. 

“She also stated that Locker showed preferential treatment to her by taking her on special outings, pretending that she was his daughter, and buying things for her,” a release from the sheriff’s office states.

The report says the child also told detectives that Locker took pictures of the her after she got out of the shower and one time showed her “a disturbing video depicting a sex act between a woman and an animal.” 

At the end of July 2024, the report says Locker returned the victim and her siblings to their out-of-state home. Before leaving the next day, the sheriff’s office said Locker was seen following the girl around the home and even trying to sneak into her bedroom. The child’s mother told Locker to leave, and he complied, the report states. 

However, the sheriff’s office said Locker returned to the home the next month and was spotted dressed in all black clothing standing outside the child’s bedroom window. Locker reportedly claimed he was returning some of the child’s belongings and was “just passing through.” Local police were called but Locker reportedly fled on foot before their arrival. 

After a months-long investigation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Locker was located at his home and arrested on Wednesday. He transported to the Marion County Jail where he remains without bond.