Bunnell police officer accused of soliciting teen boys for sex

BUNNELL, Fla. — A Bunnell police officer was placed on paid leave after he was accused of trying to take advantage of young boys online.

Agents announced Wednesday that Cpl. Michael Stavris posed as a 16-year-old girl on Facebook and used the fake profile to solicit teenage boys.

Channel 9’s Blaine Tolison found out investigators monitored Stavris for months before his arrest.

The police chief said Stavris’s actions are not reflective of the other officers on his force.

“After the conversation turned sexual, Stavris requested sexual photos of the victim,” said Samantha Andrews with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Deputies arrested Stavris Tuesday night, but Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents began investigating Stavris in December.

They believe he received the photos between June and October last year.

Agents know of two alleged victims, but the investigation isn’t over, and they believe there could be more.

“He was trusted by his community, so we are obviously saddened that one of our law enforcement officials would commit a crime such as this," Andrews said.

Stavris worked for the department for four years.

Anyone with additional information about Stavris is asked to please contact the Jacksonville Regional Operations Center at (904) 360-7111.

WFTV