VERO BEACH — An Indian River County man arrested as a 19-year-old sheriff’s deputy in 2024 and charged with possession of child sexual abuse material was sentenced Oct. 14 to jail time and probation.
In a negotiated plea deal, the now 21-year-old was adjudicated guilty by Circuit Judge Robert Meadows after pleading no contest to three counts of possession of obscenity harmful to minors. By pleading no contest, he agreed to accept punishment without admitting guilt. The state dropped other charges of possession of child pornography and two counts of lewd computer solicitation of a child.
Court records show Kai Cromer was sentenced according to the terms of the deal that outlined a eight-month county jail stint, three years of probation as a sexual offender, and that he surrender his state law enforcement license.
Along with avoiding a possible 5-year maximum prison sentence on the three charges, Cromer, of the 1800 block of Bridgepoint Circle, will not have to register as a sex offender.
Vero Beach criminal defense attorney Andrew Metcalf said it was the “benefit of that plea.”
Assistant State Attorney Katy Reid took over the case after the plea deal terms were agreed to and said she didn’t have any involvement in the negotiations.
She said Cromer would have to submit to the conditions of a sex offender for three years, such as undergoing psychological evaluations and completing recommended treatment.
The “special conditions” of his three-year probation allow Cromer to maintain his residence, drive with a log of his travels, use the internet for work or school and have unsupervised contact with minor family members.
Court records show one of the two people listed in law enforcement reports as a victim in the case obtained attorney Ashley Minton and objected to the plea deal and asked for a five-year sentence. Minton could not be reached by phone.
Reid said Comer’s short-lived law enforcement career did not play a role in his plea deal.
“As far as I know, the fact that he was or was not employed in law enforcement was not a factor,” said Reid. “He did not use law enforcement in any way.”
Cromer’s March 2024 arrest and termination from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office was announced publicly by Sheriff Eric Flowers. Flowers said Cromer was fired his first day on the job following an investigation into accusations he coerced and solicited sexual content through Snapchat.
Reports show detectives searching through his phone found “eight Snapchat conversations and unknown aged females” with three users identified as being under 18.
Two of them were interviewed by deputies including one who said she was 16 and who said she told Cromer her age, and to which Cromer, then 19, responded, according to the report, “I know how to keep a secret.”
The girl said although she denied his requests, he continued to ask for nude pictures sent through the app.
A 17-year-old listed as a victim said he would demand she send images saying he “was able to convince her to do so,” and describing him as manipulative and demanding.
Metcalf said, “the communications between all these people were consensual,” and that “at his age and her age had they been having relations” he said it would have been “perfectly legal.”
“The anomaly in our law is that that’s perfectly legal (but) if they share sexually charged texts or images that’s a crime,” Metcalf said.
He said sharing sexually explicit content by phone or social media, was an “epidemic among kids,” and then within the law he said, “they become sex offenders.”
“Our Legislature is failing our youth by failing to act,” Metcalf said.
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow @coreyarwood on X, email corey.arwood@tcpalm.com or call 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Former deputy sentenced for possession of obscene material harmful to children
Reporting by Corey Arwood, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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