After stating that he sent at least one sexual photo to a 16-year-old, a Sarasota County deputy resigned and was charged.
Investigators say Scott Kelly, 27, of Sarasota, had previously responded to an unrelated emergency at the teen’s residence in November.
Authorities say that the following day, he reached out to the child over Snapchat and eventually sent photographs of himself. He is suspected of sharing “about three images” of his genitals, according to an arrest affidavit.
According to investigators, he admitted to sending a single photo. In any case, according to the affidavit, the teen felt very uncomfortable and blocked him on Snapchat.
Kelly reportedly resigned when internal affairs attempted to question him recently, according to the office. His arrest was followed by five counts of violating public records law and one offense of distribution of obscene material to a minor the next day
.
Kelly had been employed by the patrol bureau since April 2018. The sheriff’s office stated that it was in contact with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over his “moral character violations and the future of his law enforcement certification.”
Anyone with information for investigators should contact the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900. According to authorities, their probe has already expanded beyond the photo.
“Further investigation revealed Kelly utilized a law enforcement database to research the driver’s license photos, names, and addresses of several adult females, whom he later connected with on social media,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
According to the affidavit, Kelly used the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database, often known as DAVID.
Last year, 10 Investigates revealed how government employees across the state were misusing their access to critical personal information through DAVID.
The “Abuse of Access” investigation, which was part of the local news station’s “What’s Brewing?” YouTube series, prompted state politicians to take action.
In reaction to the article, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis enacted legislation in June 2021. Every law enforcement officer in the state received new training as a result of the statute.
