JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former Jacksonville officer is now facing a federal charge for his sexual involvement with minor in Clay County.
Garriga, 34, was arrested on charges of sex crimes involving a minor in late March by the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The JSO integrity unit assisted in arresting Garriga, and he later resigned from the agency.
The federal compliant said the victim's parent noticed the victim's demeanor toward Garriga during a church service and later took photos from the victim's phone of exchanges between Garriga and the victim, providing them to law enforcement.
The federal charge is unlawful sexual activity with a minor. The messages in the complaint show Garriga asking the victim about her homework, asking for pictures, wanting to meet and he also makes sexual references to the victim. The complaint said Garriga solicited sexual images of the victim.
The victim said Garriga "wouldn't leave her alone" and "would not stop texting her," according to the complaint.
Garriga was charges of unlawful activity with certain minors, lewd touching of certain minors, travelling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity, unlawful use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony, and transmission of harmful material to a minor.
CCSO said Garriga met the victim, a 17-year-old girl, at church and suggested she download WhatsApp to talk to him. He then used the application to send her nude photos and asked her for photos of herself, according to police. Police found 305 interactions between Garriga and the victim on her cell phone.
The victim told police she met Garriga at a Clay County business, not specified by police. Video of that encounter was captured both inside and outside of the business.
The victim also told police she had an "inappropriate physical interaction with Garriga" in his car.
Garriga shot and killed Florida A&M student Jamee Johnson. Garriga was also one of the officers involved in the beating of Le-Keian Woods in 2023, which prompted an outcry from Woods' family and community members.
He was also a member of a controversial groupchat, where he was later cleared in an internal investigation by JSO.
