ACSO adds 12 counts of child porn possession to Joel Searby charges

Joel Searby speaks
Former Education First for Newberry spokesperson Joel Searby has been charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography.
Photo by Glory Reitz

Joel Searby, former spokesman for Education First for Newberry, is being charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography with enhancements, according to a case report filed Friday. 

The charges come after the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) found photos and videos containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), or child pornography, on a laptop from Searby’s house, tied to his named account. 

ACSO first arrested Searby in June on charges of lewd and lascivious behavior, obscene communication to lure a minor, obscene communication to travel to meet and lure a minor and using a two-way communication device. 

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The original charges were based on Snapchat messaging and texts between Searby, age 43, and a 15-year-old boy that were sexual in nature and solicited the victim for photos and sexual acts. 

Joel Searby
Alachua County Jail Joel Searby

Law enforcement took over the conversation from the victim’s Snapchat account before obtaining a search warrant for the Searby’s residence at and arresting him. 

A week later, Searby had been denied bail and ACSO said the investigation would remain open until detectives had identified all victims. 

Before ACSO took Searby into custody for the original charges, deputies obtained a search warrant for his residence, based on the belief that there would be CSAM on Searby’s electronic devices. 

“Offenders who are sexual(sic) attracted to children typically do not start with hands-on offenses,” the report stated. 

Searby’s laptop, collected from his home’s office area, was collected during the execution of the search warrant, and a separate search warrant was written to obtain the data contained on the laptop. 

The laptop was found to contain 12 instances of CSAM, made up of 10 images and two videos. One video is of a boy estimated to be 14-16 years old, while the other video and all 10 images are of prepubescent boys estimated to be 7-10 years old. 

One of the files was located under the username “Joel Searby,” and according to a new case report for the new law violations, multiple files also indicated that they had been opened in a viewing program. 

Searby had a bond hearing set for Sept. 10, but his council withdrew the motion and requested the hearing be canceled. 

Before his arrest, Searby was a board member and spokesman for Education First for Newberry, a nonprofit pushing the “Yes Newberry” campaign to convert Newberry’s three public schools into charter schools.  

Yes Newberry proponents cut ties with Searby immediately after his arrest but continue their collaboration with the city of Newberry on plans to convert Newberry Elementary School. 

Editor’s note: This story was updated with information about Searby’s bond hearing on Sept. 10.

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BillS

I don’t personally know this man nor his family but I can’t help but thinking how much stress this has caused his wife and his two teen children. We think we know someone but all too often some of them have their demons and his have effectively ruined the lives of the immediate family and probably many others close to them. I hope for everyone’s sake he pleads guilty and is given some serious therapy in a prison and that this family can go on with their lives somehow.

Deanna Nance

We used to live very close to them and couldn’t believe it when we found out. I hope he never had any interactions with the children nearby and I hope his children were never harmed. I feel sorry for the families he affected and I hope he gets the sentence he deserves. Shame on these sick individuals, I am tired of hearing more and more of this sick behavior, by people in the community that are suppose to be trusted with our children.