JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer, who was the focus of a joint investigation between the FBI and JSO’s Integrity and Special Investigations Unit, has been charged with molesting a young child.
Corrections Officer Zachary S. Kovach, 39, will be fired after being charged with one count of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, Undersheriff Nick Burgos announced Wednesday. Both charges are felonies, and Burgos said the molestation charge involves a victim younger than 12 years old.
According to an arrest warrant, FBI agents were chatting with Kovach online, and he sent them a photo showing him performing a lewd act on an identifiable minor.
Burgos said Kovach has been “fully vested” with JSO since February 2021.
His bond was set at $300,000.
Kovach is the seventh JSO staffer to be arrested this year.