Sarasota Deputy Sent Explicit Photo To 16-Year-Old On Snapchat: Sheriff’s Office

SARASOTA, FL — A former deputy with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office faces charges after he sent an explicit photograph to a 16-year-old, the agency said in a news release.

Scott Kelly, 27, of Sarasota is also accused of using the law enforcement database to research driver’s license photos, names and addresses of several women, who he later connected with on social media, the sheriff’s office said.

He was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with one count of distributing obscene material to a minor and five counts of violation of public records law. Kelly is being held without bond.

Detectives launched an internal investigation on March 2 after receiving a report from a Sarasota woman that her 16-year-old child had received an inappropriate photo from an unknown male deputy, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators learned that Kelly had previously responded to the teen’s home for an unrelated call for service in November. According to the victim, he initiated a conversation through Snapchat the next day.

The two began communicating, which led to Kelly sending an explicit photo. During an interview, he admitted to contacting the juvenile and sending the graphic image, SCSO said.

Kelly was hired in April 2018 and assigned to the Patrol Bureau. At the time of his arrest Wednesday, as internal affairs investigators attempted to interview him, he resigned.

Investigators will remain in contact with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding his moral character violations and the future of his law enforcement certification, the sheriff’s office said.

Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the agency’s Criminal Investigations Section at 941-861-4900.