Miami Middle School Employee Facing Child Porn Charges

MIAMI (CBS4)- A computer information technology employee at a Miami-Dade County middle school was arrested on Dec. 17 after investigators uncovered multiple images of child pornography on his laptop.

Meanwhile police are asking the public to report any inappropriate activity they've experienced with the man.

ICAC Detectives from Boynton Beach and Toronto contacted the South Florida ICAC Task Force in November after discovering the images of child pornography were associated with Charlie Garcia's computers and address in Broward County. Garcia, 30, used a file sharing program to obtain the images, officials said.

More than 50 images initially found during a computer forensic preview on Garcia's computer depicted children, 17 of them infants, involved in sexual acts with adults. The Broward Sheriff's Office, along with Miramar PD detectives, served a search warrant and arrested Garcia at his Miramar home.

Detectives are conducting a thorough forensic investigation on multiple computers Garcia used at home and work, according to officials.

Because Garcia, who has worked at Paul W. Bell Middle School in Miami for 11 years, had access to the school and its students, detectives are asking the public to report any inappropriate activity with children by Garcia.

Officials said that so far they are not aware of any such behavior.

The day he was arrested, he told detectives he planned to play Santa Claus at the middle school.

Anyone with information about Garcia is asked to contact ICAC Detective Joe Vella at 954-888-5240 or anonymously report information to Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS or online at www.browardcrimestoppers.org.