JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A home health physical therapist was arrested and faces charges of possession of ten or more images of child sexual abuse material after a search of a lost and found led to the discovery of inappropriate photos on his phone, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office report.
The report states that on March 21, an off-duty officer working at Baptist Hospital, located at 800 Prudential Drive, was requested to respond to the security office. A woman called and said she lost her phone and asked whether it had been turned in to security. Her phone could only be identified by the last picture of her husband and grandson.
Several phones of the same model had been turned into security. According to the report, one of the phones they had was locked with a picture of a puppy and the other was owned by a Georgia agency. The next phone they tried was the suspect’s.
The security dispatcher turned on the phone and found it was unlocked. When she opened the gallery, she told investigators that she saw images of child sexual abuse material.
The owner of the phone was identified as 62-year-old James Kurt Auwaerter. The report states that he said he forgot his phone when he left it charged, saying that he would pick it up on Monday when he returns to work.
According to the report, an investigative search followed after a search warrant was obtained for the phone. More than 550 notable child files were found, including two depicting child sexual battery.
Auwaerter was arrested on May 15 on charges of possessing ten or more images of child sexual abuse material.
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