Ex-BFD captain charged for child pornography in Wisconsin

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Former Bloomfield Fire Department Capt. Donald Jervis has been been arrested in Kenosha, WI, and charged with four counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a child and 17 counts of possession of child pornography.

Jervis, 52, was a Bloomfield firefighter for 25 years, according to BFD Chief Joseph McCarthy. He retired Aug. 1, 2015, and according to the complaint, moved to Wisconsin at that time. McCarthy also said that prior to his Bloomfield employment, Jervis served in the U.S. Air Force.

Jervis’ attempted distribution activity occurred between May 27, 2016, and June 3, 2016, when he tried to send pornographic recordings to a girlfriend, according to the complaint. Jervis said he was doing this for “shock value.” But when he made the attempt to send the images, his computer shut down, leading authorities to begin their investigation.

Jervis admitted that he had been viewing, collecting, and distributing child pornography for about five years, police said. He said there were about 100 child pornography images and approximately 10 child pornography recordings on a Dell laptop that only he used. As of Oct. 26, 2016, Jervis was still being held on a bond of $100,000 cash. No additional information was available by deadline.

Because of the charges against him, Jervis is not to have contact with any minor under the age of 18, or their residences, other than relatives. He can have no Internet use or the possession of any device with Internet access; he cannot use any social-networking sites or possess any device with photographic or videographic capabilities.