Deputy talking to 10-year-old on TikTok sent her nude photos, Florida sheriff says
A man talking to a 10-year-old girl over TikTok, asking for and sending nude photos of himself, was identified as a Florida deputy, authorities said.
Charlotte County sheriff’s deputy James Ford is charged with solicitation of a minor, sending harmful material to a minor, and harmful communication to a minor, Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell announced in an Oct. 28 news release.
He was arrested by the sheriff’s office Oct. 28, court documents show.
Information on Ford’s legal representation was not immediately available.
Ford had been messaging a girl who lives in Texas, according to an affidavit. A sergeant with the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office in Texas alerted the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 28 about their conversations . Coryell County is about a 145-mile drive southwest from Dallas.
The TikTok messages were discovered after the girl’s mother began noticing her daughter was acting inappropriately and “not herself,” according to the affidavit.
Her mother took her phone and saw she had been messaging with an adult man, the affidavit says.
She “noticed nude photographs and videos of the child were being sent on TikTok,” the affidavit continues.
Then the mother alerted law enforcement.
During an investigation, the girl told a forensic examiner that she had been messaging the man, later identified as Ford, who she said asked for inappropriate photos and videos of her, according to the affidavit.
She told the examiner she sent explicit content to him, and he also shared a nude photo of himself, the affidavit says.
Local authorities in Texas found the images she described, as well as a photo of Ford in which his “erect penis” was seen as he stood in a shower, according to the affidavit.
They also found several “concerning chats,” the affidavit says.
Investigators were able to identify Ford by name and confirm he worked with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, according to the affidavit.
Ford was arrested at work Oct. 28, the affidavit says.
In an interview, Ford ultimately acknowledged messaging the child over TikTok and asking for images of her genitals, according to the affidavit.
He “also admitted that he asked the child to masturbate,” the affidavit says.
At the end of the interview, according to investigators, Ford said “I (expletive) up really bad.”
Ford was detained in the Charlotte County Jail, according to Prummell. He was put on administrative leave without pay.
Ford made his first court appearance Oct. 29, records show. He is due in court Dec. 1 for an arraignment.
Concerns or suspicions about child sexual exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline online or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
.jpg)