Putman County Sheriff Gator DeLoach berated a fellow first responder after his office arrested the man for child molestation.
Deputies arrested Sean Evert Carpenter, 36, of Palatka for four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years old.
The sheriff’s office said Carpenter was a firefighter with Clay County Fire Rescue stationed in Keystone Heights at the time of his arrest.
“This piece of trash is a disgrace to not only his employers but also to anyone in public service who proudly sacrifices their lives to help others,” DeLoach said in a social media post. “He took full advantage of his position as a trusted first responder to defile a child’s innocence. He is an embarrassment to all of our fellow brothers and sisters in the fire service, and we share in their disgust and disappointment for the shame he has brought down.”
DeLoach’s agency said the defendant is an acquaintance of the victim, but they are unrelated.
