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Sheriff’s deputy arrested on child pornography charges
Hancock County Sheriff’s deputy Derrick Flanagan was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of exploitation of children and accessing child pornography.
The Sheriff’s Department was alerted to Flanagan’s alleged behavior by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The 36-year-old was arrested by the Attorney General’s office and booked into the Hancock County Adult Detention Center. He was terminated from his position as a deputy with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and was being held with no bond pending an initial court appearance.
According to media reports, the tip came in Tuesday. Chief Deputy Jeremy Skinner said via a press release on Friday that the department investigated the tip and associated computer evidence, and that revealed a cybercrime and a deputy may be involved.
Hancock County contacted the Cyber Crimes Division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and asked them to take over the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office worked with the Attorney General’s Office and the FBI.
The investigation continues with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations heading up the search.
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