GCSO Lieutenant charged with failing to report suspected child abuse placed on leave, sheriff’s office says

GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. (WCTV) - A lieutenant with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office has been placed on leave after he was arrested and accused of failing to report suspected child abuse, according to the sheriff’s office.

Lt. Christopher Daniels, the supervisor of School Resource Officers for the sheriff’s office, turned himself in on Wednesday following an investigation.

In a Tuesday statement, GCSO said Daniels had been placed on leave pending an administrative review.

Daniels is one of four charged with failure to report child abuse.

The Gadsden County School Superintendent confirmed three former school district employees were also arrested.

Court documents show state school safety specialist Tiffany Buckhalt, former Principal Tamika Hughes-Leeks and former Assistant Principal James Vernon are facing felony charges.

Those documents say they were all in a meeting last year where a student claimed a school resource officer sexually abused her, but no one reported the alleged abuse.

“Law enforcement officers have a duty to report crimes associated with allegations of child abuse and when those duties are not fulfilled, there are serious consequences,” Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said.

He also said an arrest is not a determination of guilt.

The charges stem from an investigation into a former Gadsden County High School SRO Sedale Canidate. He was arrested in July and is accused of having sex with a student on campus. Arrest papers also outline several complaints against Canidate by other students.

To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).

Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.