Law enforcement officers in Tampa have accused a 52-year-old resident of Lutz, Florida of possession of child pornography. The defendant worked as an assistant swimming coach for Berkeley Preparatory School, which fired him after he was arrested. He had worked at the school since 1999.

The 52-year-old has not been arrested before in Florida according to state records. He is accused of having photo and video files constituting child pornography on a computer in his home. Approximately 100 counts of child pornography possession were lodged against him, according to a spokesman for the Hillsborough sheriff's Office.

He remains in custody in lieu of $750,000 bail set by a court. The material he is accused of possessing was downloaded from the internet, but he is not accused of having any role in producing it.

In announcing his firing, the Berkeley Preparatory School stated that none of its students were depicted in the photos or videos or in any other way involved. The school addressed emails to students, parents and staff members seeking to address any questions or concerns.

Investigating detectives searched his home last week after first obtaining a search warrant to do so. The warrant was based on information that the man had been attempting to access child porn online.

Sex crimes are very serious matters. Just by being accused of a sex crime can permanently tarnish your reputation, and lead to extensive consequences to both your personal and professional lives. Consulting a determined lawyer with experience with sex crimes can help you defend yourself from these very serious, and damaging, charges.

Source: Tampa Bay Times, "Berkeley Prep assistant coach charged with child porn possession," Jodie Tillman, Jan. 13, 2012