Robert William Austin, a Florida Department of Corrections chaplain, was caught in an undercover sting. Police created several false identities on social media. Austin sent messages to one of those false identities thinking he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl. He sent her explicit pictures. The day “he was arrested he happened to tell the “girl” that he was going fishing. The police worked with Fish and Wildlife, found him where he was out fishing, and arrested him there.
He was charged with seven counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor, two counts of computer pornography — seducing, soliciting, luring, or enticing a child to engage in an illegal act, and one count of unlawful use of a 2-way communication device.
He was booked into Duval County. His case number is: Case 16-2023-MM-017158-AXXX-MA
- WFLA: Citrus County deputies arrest Department of Corrections chaplain on child sex charges
- Yahoo News: Department of Corrections chaplain arrested on child sex offense charges in Citrus County sting
