In a surprising revelation, a small-town police chief, who gained fame on TikTok, has been found to have engaged in disturbing activities on a secret Twitter account, as detailed in a recently unsealed federal complaint reported by The Daily Beast.
This police chief, identified as Joel Justice Womochil, aged 38, went by the username "@ictbaddad" on a social media platform now known as X. His profile picture featured "Pedobear," a character associated with pedophilic content.
His account had a banner that read, "Hello kids :)," and he described himself as a "38-year-old male looking for a special girl who was raised right and wants to continue the tradition."
Womochil assumed the role of police chief in Burns, Kansas, a town with a population of 250, in February 2022. However, he abruptly resigned in early August, citing the "best interest of me and this department" as the reason. Nonetheless, he continued to work part-time as a detention deputy in a neighboring county.
Shortly thereafter, he was arrested on state charges related to child sexual abuse material possession. Presently, he faces two federal counts of receipt and possession of child pornography, carrying severe penalties that could lead to a lengthy prison sentence.The specific nature of the content that Womochil allegedly sought and exchanged online has not been previously disclosed.
Womochil's TikTok videos, where he showcased his life as a police officer, garnered significant attention, with some amassing over 600,000 views.
In a 2022 interview with the Marion County Record, titled "Making a Difference Keeps Deputy Going," Womochil shared that he joined law enforcement due to his desire to help those in need. He saw himself as a protector, especially for those who were bullied or unable to protect themselves.
Womochil's diverse professional background includes serving as a U.S. Army combat medic, an armed security guard, a property manager, a correctional officer, and a convenience store manager. His LinkedIn profile also notes his certification as a nonviolent crisis prevention instructor during his tenure as Burns police chief.
The investigation into Womochil's alleged activities commenced with a tip.
Around the time of his resignation as police chief, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a CyberTipline report from Synchronoss Technologies, a cloud storage provider for Verizon Wireless customers.
The report indicated that a specific account had backed up multiple video and image files depicting severe child abuse. NCMEC alerted law enforcement, leading to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), taking on the case. Using law enforcement databases, they traced the account back to Womochil's phone.
An examination of the files revealed disturbing content, including sadistic videos involving young children.
On August 15, HSI had Womochil's supervisor at the jail summon him to work immediately. During an interview with HSI agents, Womochil confirmed that he was the sole user of his phone. Agents also interviewed Womochil's fiancée, a police officer herself, at their shared residence.
She directed them to Womochil's home office, where they executed a search warrant, seizing a laptop, an external hard drive, and other electronic devices. The examination of Womochil's phone confirmed the content flagged in the CyberTipline report. Additionally, it contained further disturbing images of child abuse.
Womochil's laptop held at least 851 thumbnail images linked to videos and images found on the seized hard drive. The external hard drive also yielded numerous images related to child exploitation.
As of now, Womochil does not have legal representation listed in court records and has not responded to attempts to contact him. His phone remains in HSI custody, and calls go straight to voicemail.
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