Former Get Scared vocalist Joel Faviere has been arrested and charged with child porn offences.
He was one of 42 people taken into police custody following Operation Child Guardian in Polk County, Florida.
The Daily Ridge reports that 27 year old Faviere has been charged with three counts of Possession of Child Pornography and six counts of Promotion of Sexual Performance of a Child.
They say: “Detectives received information that someone operating a device located in Faviere’s home was sharing files that contain child pornography. Detectives responded to the home on Buck Run Drive, and during an on-scene preview of his computer equipment they seized, detectives found over 4500 files containing child pornography, including images of infants and toddlers being sexually abused.
“Faviere told detectives he has been viewing child pornography for a year and that it ‘has become an addiction.’”
Faviere was only with Get Scared for a short period in 2012 – but his arrest has prompted the band to issue a statement.
Current vocalist Nick Matthews says: “First, I would like to say I’ve never met Joel. I’ve only talked to him maybe once or twice for mere minutes, but I am sick and saddened by the news.
“I am sorry for the victims of this disgusting crime, and I am horrified that he has had access to so many young fans across the country. Although his time in the band was very short, we feel he has tarnished the very name we worked so hard to build up for the past nine years.
“We would never condone this kind of disgusting behaviour, and we hope you will continue to support us through this tough time.”
He adds: “He was not personally a friend of mine, nor did he have any contact with the band in the past five years. We are working to do our part in the situation and remove any remaining platform he had through Get Scared, as he does not deserve a platform at all.”
Matthews concludes: “We are sorry to those of you who have been hurt or affected by this man’s actions. Please reach out to us or comment and discuss. We are still a family and are here to listen to you. Thank you again for all your support.”
The band have urged people to report the sexual exploitation of children or suspected exploitation of children to the National Center For Missing And Exploited Children and urged fans to donate to the charity.
