Deputy, civilian employee of Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrested, sheriff says

Deputy, employee of Osceola County Sheriff's Office arrested

Two Osceola County Sheriff?s Office employees?a civilian and a deputy?have been arrested on charges related to the unlawful access of computer systems.

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. - Two employees of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office have been arrested, officials announced on Wednesday.

During a news conference, Sheriff Christopher Blackmon announced that the two individuals arrested were a deputy and a civilian employee.

What we know:

The civilian, identified as Cassandra Wirthlin, had worked for the agency for eight and a half years, most recently as a digital evidence specialist. She was terminated from her position on July 17.

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According to Blackmon, Wirthlin was charged with four counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device and four counts of unauthorized access to a computer system. She was notified of the charges and voluntarily turned herself in to the Osceola County Jail on July 23.

The deputy, Kyle Henry, has been with the agency since October 2021 and was assigned to the Community Outreach Division.

Osceola Sheriff: Civilian employee and deputy arrested

Sheriff Christopher A. Blackmon announced the arrest of two employees of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.

Blackmon said Henry was arrested for unlawfully accessing a computer system and electronic databases to obtain information unrelated to his official duties. The alleged incident took place in May 2024, during the administration of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez.

Henry was placed on administrative duties on June 23. A warrant for his arrest was issued on Tuesday, and he was taken into custody without incident in Osceola County on Wednesday morning.

What we don't know:

Authorities did not release specific information about what was accessed or the possible motives behind the actions of either employee.

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The sheriff did not comment on either case as both the investigations are still ongoing.

‘Broken sacred trust’

The backstory:

Blackmon was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as interim Osceola County sheriff in June after Lopez was suspended following his arrest in an alleged illegal gambling operation. 

During the briefing, he reminded the public how he vowed to operate the agency with honesty and integrity.

What they're saying:

"When I came into this office and agency, I promised the public that we would operate with honesty and integrity, and we will continue to do that on the same path going forward. Sadly, we're here to gather for this press conference to inform you that two of our employees have broken that sacred trust," Blackmon said.

"As we continue to look at the issues within the agency, I want to remind you all that we have a great agency with a lot of good people," he added. " We just have a small segment that we're looking at that have some issues. And with that, as we see those issues, we will arrest and prosecute those people if it's criminal charges."