A man who spent two decades working in law enforcement pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing child pornography, authorities said.
Travis Tuenge, 44, of Statesboro, pleaded guilty to a count of child porn possession, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. He resigned from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office last year amid a GBI investigation into the allegation, AJC.com previously reported.
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In July 2019, the county’s sheriff said he placed Tuenge on administrative leave after the sheriff’s office received allegations of child molestation by the deputy. The GBI was called to investigate, and agents later found images of child porn on Tuenge’s cellphone.
Tuenge’s law enforcement career began in 1999, when he became an officer with the Statesboro Police Department, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training records. He joined the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office two years later, eventually being promoted to sergeant.
In 2019, he was serving as a superior court security officer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Tuenge has no previous history of sanctions with POST, which sets training standards and serves as a regulatory body for police officers.
His sentencing hearing has not been scheduled, but he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. In addition, he will have to register as a sex offender upon release.
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