‘Predator in uniform.’ Ex-Sarasota deputy sentenced after sending nude photos to teen
A former deputy with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has been sentenced to spend nearly two years in prison after sending nude photos to a teenager he met while at work.
Scott Kelly, 28, will spend the next 22 months in prison, followed by 38 months of sex offender probation, the State Attorney’s Office said Friday. Kelly has also been designated a sexual predator and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Kelly was convicted Thursday after entering an open plea to one count of Transmission of Material Harmful to Minors The crime carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.
Sarasota Judge Dana Moss labeled Kelly a “predator in a uniform” as part of Thursday’s sentencing hearing, according to a press release. Kelly was also criticized by sheriff’s office officials when the agency announced his arrest last year.
“This is one of the toughest days for our agency,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez said at the time. “When a public official uses his badge and his uniform to gain personal benefit, it not only reflects on the law enforcement profession but it deeply impacts the men and women who wear the uniform every day and do the job the right way.”
Kelly joined the sheriff’s office in 2018 and worked as a patrol deputy.
On March 30, 2022, Kelly was arrested after the sheriff’s office discovered he abused his position as a deputy to prey on a 16-year-old girl, according to court documents.
The girl’s mother contacted law enforcement two days after deputies responded to a call at their home. She told them her daughter had received sexual pictures from an unknown male deputy, the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
According to an arrest report, the 16-year-old girl said Kelly started messaging her on Snapchat a day after visiting their home in response to a 911 call. Kelly admitted he contacted the teen and sent her nude images during an interview, the sheriff’s office said. He resigned on the spot.
Investigators also found that he used a law enforcement database to research the driver’s license photos, names and addresses of several young adult women, who he later followed on social media. In one instance, he asked a woman to meet him on a “dark road behind Livingston’s” for sex, but she declined, according to an arrest report.
In a statement released Friday, Assistant State Attorney Kate Metz said she is pleased that Kelly will be held responsible for his actions and the girl’s family will receive justice.
“This person had no business wearing a uniform. He violated the oath he took — the oath to protect and serve the citizens of our community. Instead, he chose to use his position of authority to prey on a vulnerable child,” said Metz, the lead prosecutor on the case. “One still coping with the loss of her father. Instead of helping this child through a tough time, he exploited her.”
