JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer was arrested in Clay County, accused of meeting up with a 17-year-old girl for illegal sexual contact.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
In a statement issued by CCSO’s Special Victims Unit, 34-year-old Josue’ Garriga III was arrested on several offenses including unlawful sexual activity with a minor and lewd touching of a minor.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
That former officer was also involved in a deadly shooting in Jacksonville in 2019 and was tied to a controversial arrest last year.
In a statement released by CCSO on Wednesday evening, the mother of a 17-year-old Clay County resident contacted the sheriff’s office on March 8 after she found inappropriate cell phone messages on her daughter’s phone. The mother also reported that flirtatious behavior had been observed at a church between her daughter an an adult man who owned that same phone number.
Detectives responded to investigate and a forensic download of the victim’s phone found 350 contacts or contact attempts via calls or FaceTime video calls beginning in October of 2023 through March of 2024.
Detectives also confirmed that Garriga was the owner of the phone number discovered by the mother. They were able to verify the incident at a church through a witness.
Detectives interviewed the 17-year-old victim.
READ: St. Augustine Beach Police arrest woman who threatened partner with knife over dirty litter box
“She (the victim) disclosed that she met Garriga at the church and exchanged phone numbers with him,” CCSO said in a statement. “Garriga suggested to her that she download the WhatsApp application on her phone for their communications.”
Garriga was then said to have used the app to send her nude photos of himself and solicited her for photos. CCSO said the victim described meetings between herself and Garriga including their last in-person meeting on March 6, 2024, at a Clay County business.
“Video of that encounter was captured both inside and outside of the business,” CCSO said. “The victim described details of an inappropriate physical interaction with Garriga in his vehicle.”
Garriga was hired by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in July of 2018.
JSO released a statement that said following Clay County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation, Garriga resigned his position as a police officer with JSO and was subsequently arrested by CCSO.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.