PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Pinellas County child protection investigator faces a five-day suspension after his supervisors say he posted confidential details about a child's case on social media.
Authorities said Taylor Pittman, 25, responded to a discussion thread in May 2017 titled 'CPS workers of Reddit, what was the worst case you have seen?'
While the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says he did not post identities of people or agencies in the case, Pittman did include other confidential details. Investigators say Pittman violated the rules by knowingly posting that information in a public forum.
Details included the child's age in the case, the amount of money the family earned from a related lawsuit, and the injury that led to the lawsuit.
According to a sheriff's office memorandum, Pittman admitted to writing the post about the case on Reddit when he was confronted by his supervisor in August 2018. The report said he admitted that although he wasn't personally involved in the case, he learned about it during training and was expected not to discuss it outside of work.
Pittman said he posted the confidential information in a public forum because he "wanted to belong" in a community discussing his profession, according to a disciplinary report obtained by 10News.
He now faces a five-day suspension.
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