(CP) – A Florida police detective and children’s minister committed suicide after being investigated for having child pornography. Detective Vernon Allan Richardson, a beloved children’s minister and award-winning veteran officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, known for his work in helping to locate missing children, killed himself Tuesday as authorities investigated him for possession of child pornography, some of which was found on his church computer.
Pastor Ricky Baldwin of Riverstone Community Church in Jacksonville, told CBS 47that he didn’t know Richardson, 56, was under investigation for child pornography until his suicide. Richardson had been with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for 17 years and served as Riverstone’s children’s pastor for eight years. “Never in a million years would you ever thought that was possible. That’s why it’s so hard to believe now,” Baldwin said. READ MORE
