Former Cape Coral charter school superintendent arrested for child porn possession

A former Cape Coral charter school superintendent has been arrested on child pornography possession charges.

Frankie Nelson Stephenson, who was terminated from his superintendent position in 2017, was arrested on Tuesday by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

Since his resignation, Stephenson relocated to Bay County, where he became the Chief Education Officer at Bay Haven Charter Academy.

According to deputies, a month-long investigation was conducted after discovering that a messaging account was communicating and sharing illicit material.

The pornography was found in the messages between the two, as well as information that the user of that account was also a Bay County resident.

BCSO, along with Homeland Security Investigations agents, served a search warrant on Stephenson’s Panama City home, where they discovered the material on his electronic devices.

No evidence has been found at this time to involve any student at Bay Haven Charter Academy.

Stephenson was taken into custody and charged with possession of the image of sexual performance of a child.

He was booked into the Bay County Jail where his first appearance will be held on Wednesday.