A sheriff’s deputy from Miami-Dade County, Florida, was taken into federal custody on Wednesday after being charged with two counts of child exploitation.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, Carle Miranda Blum, 51, a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy, has been charged with receiving and producing visual depictions of sexual exploitation of minors. Blum was accused of sending several sexually graphic videos to a 17-year-old girl with whom she was having a physical relationship.
Blum was accused of filming herself engaging in illicit acts with the underage girl and traveling across state lines to meet her. Blum allegedly threatened to kill the girl after the “relationship” fell apart.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by independent news outlet WPLG, the sheriff’s office was notified on July 14 that Blum was involved in a relationship with an underage girl. According to the complaint, when the girl attempted to board a flight to Miami on the day after turning 18, she was detained under the Baker Act before boarding. Blum collected her bags from the airport.
The witness told authorities that the girl’s mental health “had significantly deteriorated” during the year she allegedly spent with Blum.
When authorities gained access to the teenager’s cellphone, they allegedly discovered numerous graphic videos of Blum with the girl, including two in which Blum is allegedly “violently choking” the teenager.
After further investigation into the alleged messages exchanged between Blum and the girl, authorities concluded that their correspondence was “romantic or sexual in nature.” Blum allegedly “continuously provided a ‘countdown'” to the girl’s 18th birthday and promised to marry her, referring to the minor as her “wife.”
The complaint reportedly cited messages between Blum and the girl dating back to February, including explicit photos and videos sent to Blum by the girl. Blum allegedly sent violent texts, including one that read, “I really need to RAPE your a—.”
When the relationship hit a rough patch and the girl attempted to end it, Blum allegedly reacted violently. One text said, “Leave me and see what happens.” Another said, “I’ll f—ing drive my favorite knife through your throat and watch you [die] slowly.” “I swear on my grandparents.”
According to WPLG, the complaint stated that authorities learned that Blum intended to fly up to see the girl in Atlanta, Georgia, once she was released from the hospital. Blum was arrested in Atlanta on Wednesday.
In a statement obtained by local CBS affiliate WFOR, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz called the charges “very disturbing,” and “a betrayal of the badge, the public trust, and the oath we swear to uphold.” Cordero Stutz continued: “The actions alleged stand in direct opposition to everything we represent as law enforcement officers and as human beings.”
