PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach announced Friday afternoon that charges have been filed against a school teacher/youth pastor for child sexual abuse material.
Edward Wilds III, 45, of Palatka is facing charges of possession of child sexual abuse material and using a two-way communication device or cell phone to facilitate a felony, DeLoach said.
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Most recently, Wilds was a sixth grade teacher at Middleton-Burney Elementary School teacher and has been with the Putnam County School District for 11 years. He was suspended from the classroom on March 14, when the PCSD was informed by the Sheriff’s Office.
Wilds’ employment history with the Putnam County School District includes the following:
- 2011-2014: Browning Pearce Elementary School
- 2015-2019: C.L. Overturf Jr. Sixth Grade Center
- 2019-2022: Moseley Elementary School
Putnam County School District Superintendent Dr. Rick Surrency, who was at the news conference with Sheriff DeLoach, said it was “alarming and disappointing” that Wilds “is alleged to have engaged in acts that exploited children.”
At this time, Surrency said, there is no indication that any of the allegations involve students in the Putnam County School District.
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Surrency said Wilds “will remain on administrative leave pending a recommendation to the school board for his termination.”
DeLoach did not mince words when talking about his disgust over Wilds’ alleged acts.
“Here’s my message to all the sick, perverted scum who commit these crimes and whose moral compass is non-existent: If you think you’re going to get away with victimizing children here, test that theory at your earliest convenience and I promise, I’m coming to get your ass,” DeLoach said.
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The investigation began when PCSO got a cyber tip from a social media site about the possible distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Detectives found Wilds had downloaded pornographic images from Palatka Baptist Temple’s WiFi after a Wednesday evening church service.
DeLoach said that in total, 54,000 images were discovered on accounts and devices associated with Wilds, the majority of them being pornographic in nature.
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Wilds told detectives that he had been banned from one of these social media sites several times.
“Detectives discovered messaging conversations where Wilds was asked by a user to send photos of male teenagers between the ages of 14 and 16 years old. Wilds had sent a total of 42 images of himself to the user,” DeLoach said.
In March, detectives met with Wilds and took possession of his electronic devices and completed a forensic download. Images that investigators found included “a male child exposing his genitals to the camera,” DeLoach said.
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On April 12, a probable cause affidavit was submitted to the State Attorney’s Office and a warrant was issued for Wilds’ arrest on Friday.
Wilds was booked into the Putnam County Jail and was in the process of bonding out on a $20,000 bond on Friday afternoon, DeLoach said.
The conditions of Wilds’ release include:
- No contact with children
- No accessing the internet via smartphone, cellphone, TV or computer
- No possession of pornography
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