No charges for Jacksonville firefighter accused of sex with teen in South Florida

Charges against a Jacksonville firefighter who was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl in South Florida have been dropped.

Ladarius Lane-Berry, 25, was arrested in April for unlawful sexual activity with a person 16 or 17 and one count of traveling to accomplish that act.

He pleaded not guilty to both charges. Court documents reveal the State Attorney's Office declined to prosecute the case.

According to the arrest report, the girl said she met Berry on Facebook about in 2015, when she was 16.

The girl said Berry would have conversations with her that were sexual in nature.

“Those allegations are shocking when they’re of that nature, so yeah, it’s something you don’t want to see in relation to firefighters,” Jacksonville Association of Firefighters President Randy Wyse said.

The teen said in March, Berry picked her up from her school in Broward County and the two had sex in his car.
The girl said she told him several times to stop but said Berry kept going.

Berry was given an address where he thought he would be meeting the teen but instead was met by investigators and was placed under arrest.

Wyse said the department was waiting for the criminal investigation to be complete before making a decision about Berry’s employment.

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