Florida youth pastor & elementary school teacher, Ed Wilds III, has been arrested for possession of child sexual abuse materials.
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.
Investigators found messages from one user asking Wilds for pictures of children aged 14 to 16. Wilds sent the user 42 images.
After deputies met with Wilds, the Putnam County School District was alerted, leading to Wilds being suspended from Middleton-Burney Elementary, where he worked at the time.
“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,” Putnam County Sheriff DeLoach said. “The exploitation and abuse of children is a despicable act that has no place in our society.”
Wilds was arrested and booked into the Putnam County Jail at around 1:30 p.m. Less than thirty minutes after he was booked, he was released on bond, which was set at $20,000.
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
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.”
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