Man accused of posing as cop arrested on child solicitation charge, deputies say

Arrest part of undercover operation in Marion County

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was recently accused of impersonating an officer to pull over another driver has been arrested again, this time on a charge of attempting to solicit sex with a child, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Jonathan Shaddix, 32, was speaking online with an undercover detective posing as the parent of a 14-year-old girl as part of a sting operation. In conversations with that detective, Shaddix gave descriptions of sex acts he planned to commit on the child, according to the report.

Although Shaddix discusses traveling to Marion County to meet the girl, he never did and eventually ceased contact with the undercover detective, deputies said.

On Friday, detectives went to Shaddix's home in Apopka to confront him about the allegations. Deputies said Shaddix admitted to using his picture during the online conversations and confirmed that the cellphone number tied to the online account was his.

At one point, Shaddix snatched his cellphone from a detective and went back inside his home. When he returned, the phone had been tampered with so it was more difficult for detectives to access, according to the report.

LCSO arrests man impersonating a cop

ICYMI: The Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested 32 year old Jonathan Shaddix last night after he stopped a driver he claims was driving recklessly. He recorded the stop on his own body cam video & shared it with deptuies. "He thought he was doing us a favor by doing all of this stuff, acting like a law enforcement officer. He wasn't and that's not good, it's not good at all," Sgt. Fred Jones said. Read more: https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida-man-posing-as-cop-pulls-over-speeding-driver-deputies-say

Posted by Amanda Castro News 6 on Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Marion County deputies arrested Shaddix on a charge of attempting to solicit a child for sex while Orange County authorities also charged him with tampering with evidence.

The arrest came days after Shaddix was arrested the night of Sept. 11 after Lake County deputies said he was topping speeds of 100 mph while following a driver who he eventually pulled over using flashing lights on his vehicle.

In that incident, Shaddix was charged with impersonating an officer. Shaddix spoke with News 6 after he bonded out of jail and he defended his actions, saying that he was just trying to protect the community from a dangerous satellite.


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