A newly sworn-in police officer in Florida was arrested for child pornography after his first day on the job.
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office said 19-year-old Kai Cromer was sworn in as a deputy on Monday, and by that night, a search warrant had been issued for his phone.
In a media briefing shared with Scripps News, Sheriff Eric Flowers said Cromer had been on call at a high school when “a brave young female came forward” and alerted police that the officer had been contacting her via Snapchat, asking for naked and topless photos.
She told police “she felt very uncomfortable just even seeing him on campus,” Flowers said.
The sheriff said an investigation began immediately.
The police department reviewed over 100 GB of data and arrested him on one count of possession of child pornography.
“Kai Cromer is no longer an employee of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office,” Flowers said Tuesday. “Our captain terminated him while he was in our cell.”
Flowers said a total of four victims have come forward, who are “very concerned for their safety.” They said Cromer had requested explicit photos and videos via Snapchat.
“He was telling people, ‘I’m going to be law enforcement, I’m very powerful.’ He was forcing these girls, they said they were very uncomfortable with the entire circumstance, and they felt they had no choice but to do these things, and that’s just completely unacceptable,” Flowers said.
Flowers issued a plea for anyone who has spoken with Cromer via his Snapchat account, @KaiCromer, to come forward: “We need to talk to you.”
He said there are also other victims they are aware of.
“We are confident that there will be other charges,” Flowers said.
Police said they usually do not release law enforcement mug shots but Flowers wanted to hold up Cromer’s for the public to see, in case they may have been a victim or have additional information.
Flowers said he was proud of the victims who came forward and assured any others that they will be protected and their information will remain confidential.
Cromer is being held on a $15,000 bond.
