SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Sullivan County grand jury cleared a former sergeant with the Kingsport Police Department (KPD) of criminal wrongdoing.
On May 17, Daniel Horne resigned from his position with the KPD due to an investigation into an alleged inappropriate photo .
According to court documents, a grand jury determined there was no evidence that Horne contacted a minor or committed any criminal action, stating he was a victim of catfishing and extortion.
TBI: Former Sullivan Co. court clerk tampered with records The person behind the scam reportedly sent Horne an Instagram friend request claiming to be a 21-year-old female college student. The person sent Horne a private picture and requested he do the same, court documents stated.
Horne then sent a picture of himself in his uniform, along with a “single inappropriate picture.”
The person running the fake account messaged Horne with the picture he previously sent and a separate picture of his family, demanding $700. The person reportedly said she would “ruin his life” if he didn’t send the money.
“[Horne] sent a $200 gift card that she requested and said he didn’t have any more money to send,” court documents stated. “This person then sent the inappropriate picture to 25 people on [Horne’s] Instagram friends list and said if he didn’t send more money, she would say he sent the picture to a minor.”
Horne then called his Lieutenant and told him what happened, and he was placed on administrative leave.
The KPD, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and Special Agent Brian Fraley investigated the case . A search warrant was obtained for Meta to identify the Instagram user account of the woman.
The search warrant determined the account was used from Greece, Turkey and Nigeria by the individual who claimed to be a college student.
“After thoroughly reviewing both investigations, the Grand Jury, by unanimous decision, determined there is no evidence that the officer [Horne] was contacting a minor, nor had the officer committed any criminal action,” court documents stated.
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