Former JSO dispatcher indicted for producing, distributing child sexual abuse content

JACKSONVILLE — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office emergency dispatcher for producing and distributing photos and a video depicting child sexual abuse.

Scott Matthew Yotka, 37, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years, and up to 80 years, in federal prison.

According to court documents, on Sept. 15, 2021, Yotka, using the name “Scottnjax44,” used a social media app to engage in online private conversations with an undercover FBI task force officer who was posing as the parent of a child.

Yotka and the undercover officer reportedly discussed, in detail, the sexual exploitation of children. Yotka confessed that he was sexually active with two young children, both of whom were unable to talk. Yotka sent the undercover officer several photos and a video that depicted two children being sexually abused. Yotka also stated that he was employed as an “emergency dispatcher” and worked “12-hour shifts,” according to a release from the Department of Justice.

Investigators say they traced the online messaging activity to Yotka’s Jacksonville home and determined that the same “Scottnjax44″ user account was also accessed from the City of Jacksonville facility at the Ed Ball Building in downtown Jacksonville.

FBI agents coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and confirmed that Yotka was employed by JSO as a Police Emergency Communications Officer who routinely worked a 12-hour night shift.

On Sept. 17, a federal search warrant was executed at Yotka’s home. Following his arrest, Yotka resigned from his position with JSO.

The case was investigated as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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