A fire captain accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl said he thought he was kissing an adult’s mouth and not the genitals of a child, it is claimed.
Michael William Palmatier, 48, from Arizona, USA, admitted he had a ‘sexually sick side’ to him, although he insisted he would never hurt a child, according to reports.
He allegedly said to a fire service colleague that he did irreversible things at a party on April 21 in a recorded phone call.
It is claimed Palmatier told the fellow firefighter that he took a muscle relaxant before the birthday bash, after hurting his neck during a sex act with his girlfriend.
He allegedly told them he remembered kissing the victim in a bedroom and when the colleague told him she was eight-years-old, the fire captain repeatedly swore, cried and then apologised, the New York Post reports.
Court records claim that Palmatier said ‘he let his demons get out’ and went into the bedroom because he was lusting after one of the adults at the party.
The Arizona Republic reported that the court records stated: “Michael admitted the entire thing was wrong but he would never knowingly do anything sexually to a juvenile.
“He also commented: ‘Yeah I have a sick side to me, like a sexually sick side to me, but not in that way.’”
The fire captain claimed he would never hurt a child and thought he was kissing an adult’s mouth, according to reports.
Palmatier, who has spent nearly 20 years in the fire service, allegedly acknowledged that a youngster would not make up a claim like the one levelled against him, although he insisted that he believed he was kissing an adult’s mouth at the time.
The victim was supposedly asleep at the time of the offence and woke up to find Palmatier performing a sex act on her, court documents claim.
She then allegedly left the bed and ran into a bathroom, while Palmatier made an abrupt departure from the party.
The fire captain was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of sexual contact with a minor, kidnapping and indecent exposure.
He was released from custody and told to wear an electronic tag, ahead of his next court appearance.