Shawn Fitzgerald was the youth director at First United Methodist Church. He also was a high school teacher and soccer coach. A tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led investigators to him. They got a search warrant and arrested him when they found many images of child sexual abuse, including sexual abuse of infants. He was charged with over 400 counts of possessing CSAM.
The case is headed for trial. There is a hearing scheduled for 6/21/23
He was sentenced to 35 years on Friday, September 8, 2023.
- NBC2: Florida teacher arrested on over 400 counts of child pornography
- The Daily Beast: Florida Youth Pastor Charged with 408 counts of child porn
- Law & Crime: Teacher sentenced for possessing more than 700 sexual abuse pictures and video of children as young as infants
St. Petersburg, Florida · Sunday, November 22, 2020