St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office announced arrest of deputy for possessing child pornography

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy Blake Gruny has been arrested for the possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sheriff’s office made the announcement on Friday night.

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On Oct. 4, 2023, the SJSO Internet Crimes Against Children unit received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after child pornography was uploaded to an internet service provider.

The sheriff’s office said in a statement that detectives immediately began an investigation into Deputy Gruny.

On Friday evening, Gruny was arrested on the following charges:

• 6 counts of possession of CSAM
• 6 counts of transmission of CSAM
• 1 count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device

According to SJSO, Gruny was with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office for 8 years. Back on Jan. 9, 2019, the sheriff’s office posted on their Facebook account, “K9 Thor and his human partner Deputy Blake Gruny passed Patrol School and are now active members of our team.”

In its Friday statement, the sheriff’s office said that Gruny had been summarily terminated.

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“Protecting children from exploitation is a priority for SJSO, and offenders will be held accountable regardless of occupation or status,” SJSO said in a statement. “This is an active investigation, and several items of evidentiary value are still being examined. We will provide additional updates as applicable.”

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