Former Lakeland High teacher sentenced to 35 years for child pornography possession
Shawn Fitzgerald, a former teacher at Lakeland High School, received a 35-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Fitzgerald, 49, was arrested in 2020, when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office charged him with 408 counts of child pornography. A search of Fitzgerald’s cell phone found more than 700 pictures and videos of children, as young as infants, being sexually abused by adults or sexually exploited, the State Attorney’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit said in a news release.
The child pornography was located on Fitzgerald’s cell phone in multiple encrypted apps, including one disguised as a calculator, the release said.
At the time of his arrest, Fitzgerald coached boys varsity soccer and tennis at Lakeland High, PCSO said. He was also director of youth services for the First Methodist Church of Bartow.
A forensic analysis of his cell phone found that Fitzgerald routinely viewed child pornography while teaching, ministering to the youth, coaching and attending field trips, the State Attorney’s Office said in the release.
Circuit Court Judge Susan Barber accepted Fitzgerald’s plea agreement last week. Assistant State Attorney Monica Smith led the prosecution.
State Attorney Brian Haas credited Smith and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s Computer Crimes Unit in ensuring that Fitzgerald received a long-term prison sentence.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Former Lakeland teacher, youth leader gets 35 years for child porn
