FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A former Bunnell police officer who posed as a teenage girl online three days after being released from prison on similar charges will be returning to prison.
Michael Stavris was first arrested in 2014 after allegations that he used photos of a teenage girl on a fake social media account that he used to get sexually explicit photos of teenage boys, many of whom attended Flagler Palm Coast High School.
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Deputies said Stavris was sentenced to prison in 2016 on charges of felony child abuse and fraud through use of personal identification. He was released from prison on Feb. 11 then on Feb. 14, a new complaint was brought forth against him.
A 17-year-old girl said Stavris was using her photos on a fake Facebook account and was messaging her friends in an attempt to gather personal information about her life. He would also send her friends explicit photos claiming they were the victim, but they were not.
Stavris accepted a plea in that case on Thursday. He'll serve five years in prison for the violation of probation charge and 10 years in prison on the new charges of felony child abuse, fraud through the use of personal identification and stalking.
“We consider this resolution a success and I’m glad to see that Stavris will go back to prison for a long time,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “This defendant has been preying on juveniles and women since 2011 and didn’t learn his lesson even after spending nearly three years in prison the first time, so it’s time to go back where he can’t prey on children.”
After he is released from prison, Stavris will be required to complete five years of sex offender probation, which prohibits him from using the internet, social media, contacting the victim or volunteering around children.
Polygraph examinations and mental health treatment will also be required.
Stavris was a sergeant with the Bunnell Police Department before his first arrest.