Florida officer facing child porn charges commits suicide
Ft. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Broward Sheriff's officer facing child porn charges has died from a self inflicted gunshot wound, reports CBS Miami.
Eight hours after being released from jail on bond, Sunrise police found Sgt. Kreg Costa outside on the side of his house bleeding from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center where he died around 11:30 p.m., said sheriff's spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright in a statement.
Costa was married and a father of five children. One of the conditions of his release was the he could not spend time alone with his children, ages 3 to 12.
Costa, 43, was arrested June 9 and faced 29 counts, which included possessing or viewing a depiction of child sexual conduct and using or allowing a child to engage in sex.
According to Broward Sheriff's Office, staff at the Weston district "noticed Costa staying in his office during his night shift with the lights off and his uniform belt and gun belt removed."
The department's Public Corruption Unit detectives requested a computer usage report of Costa's work-issued laptop from January 1 to March 31. The report revealed Costa was viewing hardcore pornography, incest-related and bondage/dominance websites while he was at work, according to the sheriff's office.
He also allegedly exchanged sexually explicit messages through emails, Twitter and videos with a teen girl.
At one point, investigators said, he instructed the teen to record herself engaging in sex acts.
The teen, who used the handle "Babygirl," told BSO investigators when she first started communicating with Costa, whom she knew by his Twitter handle @CallMeSir34, she told him she was 15.
CBS Miami reports that Costa used to be a coach in a Broward County youth football organization. Costa, according to the documents, was shadowing young cheerleaders from the group on Twitter.