Edward Wilds III (Putnam County Sheriff’s Office)
A 45-year-old youth pastor and elementary public school teacher in Florida has been arrested after he allegedly used his church’s Wi-Fi to download massive amounts of child sexual abuse images. Edward Wilds III was taken into custody on Friday and charged with one count each of possession of obscene material — child pornography and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach on Friday provided additional details about Wilds’ arrest, explaining that investigators began looking into the sixth grade teacher after receiving a tip from a social media site in May. DeLoach did not specify which site contacted his office but said they were told Wilds had been downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Detectives soon discovered that Wilds “had downloaded pornographic images from Palatka Baptist Temple’s Wi-Fi following a Wednesday evening church service,” according to DeLoach.
“In total, 54,000 images were discovered on accounts and devices associated with Wilds, with the majority of them being pornographic in nature,” DeLoach said. “Wilds told detectives that he had been banned by the company of one of these social media sites several times.”
After investigators obtained and executed search warrants for Wilds’ electronic devices and completed a forensic download, more illegal CSAM was discovered. The sheriff’s office then notified Middleton-Burney Elementary School of the investigation and Wilds was removed from the classroom. He had worked in the Putnam County Public School District for the last 11 years, Sheriff DeLoach said.
“This is a clear-cut case of child sexual exploitation and I’m deeply troubled by the commission of such heinous crime in our hometown,” Sheriff DeLoach said. “The exploitation and abuse of children is a despicable act that has no place in our society. Wilds’ behavior is disgusting, vile, and repugnant and I will not tolerate it in our county. Today’s arrest of Wilds for possession of child pornography serves as a stark reminder that we all have a responsibility to be vigilant in protecting our children from all forms of abuse.”
A warrant for Wilds’ arrest was issued on Friday and he turned himself over to authorities. He was booked into the Putnam County Jail and released later that day after posting a bond of $20,000. As a condition of his pretrial release, he is prohibited from having any contact with children and from using the internet.
Putnam County School District Superintendent Rick Surrency said the board had already begun the process of firing Wilds.
“At this time, there is no indication that any of these allegations involve students in the Putnam County School District,” Surrency said in a statement to the Christian Post. “All parents and students were notified of his arrest and counselors are available to all students and staff. This behavior should never occur but especially by someone who serves in an educational setting. With these charges filed today and the arrest of the employee, Mr. Wilds will remain on administrative leave pending a recommendation to the school board for his termination.”
The Christian Post also reported that Wilds is the son of Ed Wilds, Palatka Baptist Temple’s lead pastor. The church did not immediately respond to a message for comment from Law&Crime.
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