SHALIMAR (FL)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
January 15, 2025
By Sheila Stogsdill
A church leader in the Florida Panhandle has been arrested and charged with possession of child sex abuse material, after investigators found videos of a girl on the man’s computer, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s office.
Frank Gough II, 64, of Shalimar, who serves as priest of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Shalimar was taken into custody on January 9. He was charged with 30 counts of possession of child sex abuse material, the sheriff’s department said.
Gough has served as priest of the church, which is affiliated with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), since 2010, reported WTVY News 4.
Gough’s name does not appear on the church’s website, which shows 2008 as the most updated information. However, a 2017 social media post shows Gough affiliated with the church, and a 2019 video depicts Gough preaching on “Christian Integrity.”
A message left for church elders was not returned.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip in May 2024 regarding uploaded sexual images believed to contain children, the sheriff’s department reported.
During the course of the investigation, investigators seized multiple computer storage devices found in a desk drawer in Gough’s bedroom, WTVY News 4 reported.
Forensic analysis of those devices found them to hold more than 100 files of child sex abuse material, the news station reported.
Investigators with the sheriff’s department said one video of a young female “appears to be between three and five years old.”
WTVY reported Gough confessed investigators to having a problem with looking at obscene materials involving minors. He reportedly said he did not view any pornography involving children under 14 years old.
Correction: The story has been updated to accurately state Gough’s role as priest.