1030: Brandon Fox – Republican Sexual Predators

Brandon Michael Fox was a police officer in Daytona Beach, Florida, for two years before he was arrested for possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. He had CSAM on his phone and he participated in a Kik chatroom with others who shared CSAM.

At sentencing he said he made no excuses for his actions. Then, he claimed he turned to CSAM because he suffered from depression and anxiety after a fellow police officer and friend Jason Raynor died 55 days after being shot in the head. He said he spent every day at Raynor’s bedside. Additionally, he said two friends committed suicide. This caused him to turn to CSAM. He claimed he was not sexually attracted to children at all and no one should think he was a sex offender. His lawyer said he “took responsibility for his actions.” The prosecutor said he could understand that he was under stress, but most people turn to drugs or alcohol, not child pornography (CSAM).

He also claimed that he was unable to get in contact with the police departments’ employee assistance program to deal with his anxiety and depression. The department responded: “The death of Officer Raynor was a very difficult time for everyone at the department. The entire department was offered assistance to include having psychiatrists and grief counselors readily available on site at the police department, day and night, for every shift. We have no further comment.”

He could have been sentenced to 570 years. The minimum sentence was 63 years, but the judge gave him 25. He will also have 45 years of sex offender probation after his release.