Broward-based former Florida Highway Patrol captain arrested on a child porn charge

A former Florida Highway Patrol captain who lives in Fort Lauderdale was arrested Wednesday on a child pornography charge, according to Broward County jail records.

As of Thursday morning, online jail records showed 45-year-old Christopher Chappell at county jail on a charge of “access with intent to view child pornography.” The entry also showed Chappell was being held for U.S. Marshals, indicating he’ll be charged in federal court. That case doesn’t appear yet in the federal court online system.

Chappell’s arrest was first reported by WPLG-Channel 10.

When the Miami Herald asked how long Chappell was with FHP, the agency responded only with “Christopher Chappell is no longer employed by the department.”

Though Chappell’s name has been removed from the page for FHP’s Troop L, which covers the Atlantic coast from Broward County to Indian River County, a Google search shows his name was there until recently. A report by West Palm Beach’s CBS12 showed Chappell being one of the troopers sent to Florida’s Panhandle during Hurricane Michael preparations in 2018.

This developing story will be updated.