Youth pastor used church Wi-Fi to download child porn after services, Florida cops say

A Florida youth pastor is accused of lingering after services to use his church’s Wi-Fi to download child porn, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

Edward Wilds III, 44, of Palatka also worked as an elementary school teacher until news of the accusations became public, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Palatka is about 60 miles south of Jacksonville.

He was arrested April 14 after a nearly year-long investigation, officials said.

“Detectives were alerted to possible distribution of child pornography through a cyber-tip from a social media site on May 22, 2022. Detectives discovered (Wilds) had downloaded pornography images from Palatka Baptist Temple’s Wi-Fi following a Wednesday evening service,” the sheriff’s office said.

“In total 54,000 images were discovered on accounts and devices associated with Wilds. The majority of the images were pornographic. ... Detectives discovered messaging conversations where Wilds was asked by another user for images of children between the ages of 14-16 years old. He sent 42 images.”

Wilds is charged with “possession of child pornography and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony,” the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators confronted him in March, after securing subpoenas to confiscate his electronic devices. Among the discoveries made: “He had been banned by the company of one social media site several times,” officials said.

Detectives informed the Putnam County School District of Wilds’ arrest and he “was suspended and removed” from his role as a teacher at Middleton-Burney Elementary School in Crescent City, officials said.

“This is a clear cut case of child sexual exploitation and I’m deeply troubled,” Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach said in the news release.

“(The) 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.”

This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 6:43 AM with the headline "Youth pastor used church Wi-Fi to download child porn after services, Florida cops say."