FL Deputy Exchanged Nude Photos With Girl, 10, On TikTok: Sheriff’s Office

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL — A Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested Wednesday for having inappropriate conversations with a 10-year-old Texas girl on TikTok, including sending and receiving nude photographs, according to his arrest affidavit.

James Ford, 34, of Port Charlotte was charged with solicitation of a minor, sending harmful material to a minor and harmful communication with a minor, Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a social media post.

The investigation began when the victim’s mother noticed she “Was acting inappropriate and not herself,” according to the arrest affidavit. She took her daughter’s cell phone away from her and found the girl was having conversations with a man, later identified as Ford, sending him nude photos and videos.

She contacted local law enforcement, and investigators with the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office in Texas reached out to Charlotte County deputies on Tuesday.

The girl told detectives that the man asked her to send the photos and videos of herself and also sent her a picture of himself, the affidavit said.

During an interview with Charlotte County investigators, he admitted to having the conversations with the girl and exchanging photographs and told them, “I [expletive] up. I [expletive] up really bad,” according to the affidavit.

“Any time a deputy is arrested, it damages the trust that we have worked so hard to build with our community. With something as serious as an arrest, and especially of this nature, I wanted to make sure you [residents] heard this news directly from me,” Prummell said. “As with any investigation into a member of this agency, we will share with you what we can, when we can; however, this is still an active investigation.

Ford has been placed on administrative leave without pay.

See Also:

• Student Brought Gun To Tampa-Area High School: Hillsborough County Sheriff
• 4 Men Arrested For Traveling To Meet A Minor They Met Online For Sex: St. Pete Police
• Hit-And-Run Driver Sought In Pasco County Crash: FL Highway Patrol
• High School Principal Failed To Report Child Abuse: Hillsborough County Sheriff
• E-Bike Driver Killed In U.S. 19 Crash In Pasco County: FL Highway Patrol