BLOUNTSTOWN, Fla. (WTXL) - A Blountstown police officer has been arrested after being accused of engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old child.
Blountstown Police Officer Christian Rashad Smith, 30, has been charged for unlawful sexual activity with certain minors and contributing to the delinquency of a child.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says they started their investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
They say that Smith was having inappropriate conversations with a 16-year-old female on social media. Their investigation revealed Smith had sexual conversations with the child on different social media platforms and also engaged in sexual activity with the child.
Chief Mark Mallory of the Blountstown Police Department made the following statement regarding Smith's arrest:
“The allegations against Sgt. Smith do not reflect the character and standards that we have for the employees of the Blountstown Police Dept. and not only violate the public’s trust, but the trust that I place in the officers of this agency. I am committed to transparency and to policing our own personnel. Upon notification of the allegations made against Sgt. Smith, this agency began working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on this matter. Once enough information was gathered to determine that there was potential merit to the allegations, Sgt. Smith was immediately placed on administrative leave until the completion of the investigation.”
Smith was arrested Thursday night and booked into the Calhoun County Jail. Following his arrest, Smith was placed on administrative leave pending investigation.
