A Palm Beach County Fire Rescue employee, William Barbre, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. According to a report from CBS12 News, over 300 files of sexual child abuse were linked to Barbre's IP address. Law enforcement tracked down the source of the materials to a Royal Palm Beach man, identified as the 44-year-old firefighter.
Investigation into the matter began in March when a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy, scouring the Child Protection Services database, noticed the staggering number of illicit files coming from one address. Subsequent tracking by the deputies, while sifting through AT&T leased IP addresses, led to Barbre's home, where hundreds of files showing abuse were allegedly found on his computer. After executing a search warrant, Barbre reportedly admitted to deputies to viewing the files, feeling "repugnant," and then he subsequently deleted them, as reported by WPBF 25 News.
Barbre now faces over 30 counts of possession of 10 or more images of child pornography. He's been placed on Administrative Leave without pay by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. A statement obtained by CBS12 News from Palm Beach County Fire Rescue confirmed Barbre's employment status but noted that the organization does not engage in discussion regarding ongoing investigations or pending litigation.
Currently, Barbre is held in the Palm Beach County Jail, with bail set. The court has ordered him to have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, and his contact with his own children is restricted as ordered by the Florida Department of Children and Families. As the community grapples with the shocking revelation, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue is cautious to comment further, which has been echoed in a statement obtained by WPBF 25 News, reiterating the policy on open investigations and legal matters.
