Fired Lee Co. deputy sheriff charged with receiving child pornography

A former Lee County sheriff’s deputy accused of touching a 12-year-old girl in November was arrested Tuesday on federal child pornography charges, according to a news release from George L. Beck Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

Kevin Wayne Taylor, 39, of Phenix City was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on a charge alleging he received child porn between Aug. 20, 2004, and Oct. 7, 2015, and had it in his possession around Nov. 13, 2015.

Authorities said the indictment stems from a complaint made to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 9. A woman told authorities that Taylor touched her 12-year-old daughter inappropriately.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said Taylor, an employee of the sheriff's office for more than seven years and a deputy at the time the report was filed, was fired from his position. The offense is alleged to have occurred while he was off duty.

Jones immediately requested an independent investigation due to Taylor's association with the sheriff's office. The sheriff said taking immediate action is a must when it comes to examining any reports of misconduct concerning his staff.

“We want to immediately make sure that it’s investigated if there’s any indication that they are not doing their job in the proper manner,” Jones said. “It’s even more important when an individual takes an oath to protect the public.”

On Nov. 18, Taylor was arrested by the State Bureau of Investigation of the Alabama Law Enforcement and charged with one count of sexual abuse of a child. He booked into the Lee County Jail but released later that day on a $10,000 bond.

This story was originally published August 23, 2016 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Fired Lee Co. deputy sheriff charged with receiving child pornography."