JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office who has been accused of criminal sexual conduct with a child appeared in court Wednesday morning.
David Gedert, 31, is charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a child under age 13 on a warrant out of Kalamazoo County stemming from an incident that allegedly happened six years ago.
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Gedert told the judge he was waiving extradition.
The judge said officers from Michigan were in Jacksonville to take him back to face the charges against him, but set a Sept. 24 review hearing in the case he was still in town.
According to Undersheriff Pat Ivey, Officer David Gedert has been fired from the Sheriff’s Office. He was with the department for 21 months.
News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson, who used to be an officer at JSO, said officers are required to complete extensive background checks. It said it’s possible that investigators might not have known about the allegation because it was recently reported.
“The last 10 years of your life is what they look at,” Jefferson said. “Is there a possibility that something can slip up, yes. But more than likely nothing like this because this is major.”
Gedert gained notoriety in October after the Fraternal Order of Police said that he helped rescue a woman from a car that had driven into a retention pond.
Gedert is the fifth member of the Sheriff’s Office to be arrested in 2020. Ivey said four officers and one civilian have been arrested.
Records showed he was held Tuesday night without bond in the Duval County jail.