ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A former Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer was arrested Wednesday for possession of child sexual abuse material, FWC confirmed Thursday afternoon.
William Lawshe was arrested by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office after the agency received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children “in reference to an upload of child sexual abuse material,” according to Lawshe’s arrest report.
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Investigators found that the phone that uploaded the material belonged to Lawshe and “was found to be within his dominion and control,” the report said.
The report said Lawshe came to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday and confirmed with investigators that the phone from the cyber tip belonged to him and was in his control when three files with the material were uploaded.
SJSO established “probable cause” for Lawshe’s arrest on three counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
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FWC said Lawshe “resigned prior to termination by the FWC” and he had been an officer with FWC since 2008.
Action News Jax told you in 2014 when Lawshe was named the Wildlife Officer of the Year.
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Col. Roger Young, Director of the FWC Division of Law Enforcement, released the following statement:
“These charges are detestable to me and all of our employees and in no way reflect our values as an agency. As both a law enforcement officer and a father, I’m angered by the allegations connected with this arrest. He has betrayed the oath that all law enforcement officers take to protect the public and he will be held accountable for his actions. I’d like to thank St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work on this case.”
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