Crime & Public Safety
Former Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain sentenced after chld-pornography conviction
A former Palm Beach County Fire Rescue captain was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to 30 felony counts of possession of chld pornography, a case tied to activity traced to a Royal Palm Beach address. The sentence also includes five years of probation, concurrent terms for each count, lifetime s3x-offender registration and court-ordered bans on internet and electronic device use.
Investigators with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office opened the probe on March 5, 2025, after a chld Protection Database alert identified one IP address. The agency reviewed 348 files, including 62 videos depicting chld s3xual abuse dated between Nov. 4, 2024, and Feb. 15, 2025. AT&T subscriber information connected the IP address to William Barbre, 44, of Royal Palm Beach. A search of Barbre’s home on April 15, 2025, recovered a computer in a garage that allegedly contained “over a hundred files” showing s3xual abuse of children, according to the arrest report.
The charges filed allege possession, control or intentional viewing of s3xual performance by a chld where 10 or more images were involved. Those are the offenses to which Barbre pleaded guilty; the factual record reviewed by investigators included hundreds of downloaded files and dozens of videos depicting pre-pubescent girls. Barbre was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on April 16, 2025, and released the following day after bonds totaling $300,000.
Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Martz also prohibited Barbre from using computers, smartphones or social media and ordered no contact with minors; the employment relationship with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue ended days after his arrest. The case is concluded as to sentencing and the listed court restrictions are in effect.
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