A Broward middle school science teacher was arrested Tuesday while working at a summer program. Investigators say they uncovered more than 25 files of child porn on his Google account.
Quinton Isaiah Womack-Wedlaw came to the attention of the Broward Sheriff’s Office in April, when it received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about Google flagging sexually explicit content of minors on the 25-year-old’s account, according to an affidavit.
Several of the videos depicted the same child, who was around 10 to 12 years old, being sexually assaulted by an adult, the document states. It’s currently unclear if investigators believe the man in the videos was Womack-Wedlaw.
“Detectives say they don’t have indications that Quinton Womack-Wedlaw has had any inappropriate relations with any student,” the Broward Sheriff’s Office told the Miami Herald. “However, the investigation is still active and ongoing.”
Womack-Wedlaw, who has taught at Parkway Middle School in Lauderhill since January, faces 10 counts of possessing or viewing child sexual abuse material. Detectives say they only charged him with 10 of the images to establish probable cause, meaning that Womack-Wedlaw could see a slew of additional charges.
In a statement, Broward County Public Schools said Womack-Wedlaw “will be reassigned away from the school and students pending the outcome of the case.” Womack-Wedlaw was fired from his recreation supervisor role at Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park, which offers a free summer program for children ages 6 to 17, a Broward County Parks and Recreation spokesperson confirmed.
What led up to teacher’s arrest?
After receiving the tip, a BSO detective who investigates crimes against children obtained a search warrant for the Google account, the document states. He linked the account to Womack-Wedlaw after finding a “selfie” of the teacher — and other correspondence addressed to him.
The logins on the account, BSO says, also originated from his residence, just outside of Fort Lauderdale.
Then, on Tuesday afternoon, investigators headed to Reverend Samuel Delevoe Memorial Park. They had a search warrant for Womack-Wedlaw’s devices, according to the affidavit.
When approached by detectives, Womack-Wedlaw asked for an attorney and refused to provide the codes to unlock the phones that were on him, the document states. A brief forensic examination of one of the phones determined that it shared the number associated with Womack-Wedlaw’s Google account.
Detectives also seized “numerous electronic devices” at his home, though the affidavit didn’t specify how many nor what type of devices they located.
Womack-Wedlaw remains at the Broward Main Jail with his bond set at $200,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. A judge, according to reports, barred him from accessing the internet and ordered him to stay away from children, schools, parks and camps.
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