Former KDPS, Greene Co. official charged with sexual offense against own child

A former local law enforcement officer has been arrested for sexually abusing his own child.

The Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office arrested Todd Austin Jarvis, 27, a former Kinston Department of Public Safety, Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Maury Correctional Facility employee for an alleged sexual offense with his child.

The child is 7-years-old now but was 5 at the time of the alleged offense.

“A family member first reported the incident to the Beaufort County Department of Social Services,” LCSO Capt. Jim Oldenburg said. “The case was then turned over to the Beaufort and Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office; our department got involved because the alleged incident occurred in Lenoir County.”

Oldenburg said the TEDI Bear Child Advocacy Center in Greenville aided in the investigation.

The accused — whose current address is Elliott Road in Bath — was charged with first degree statutory sexual offense. Jarvis was served on Wednesday while being incarcerated in the Beaufort County Detention Center on an unrelated arson charge.

“We won’t be divulging any specifics in regards to the identity of the child,” Oldenburg said.

According to Oldenburg, Jarvis was placed under a $50,000 bond and after a court appearance in Lenoir County Thursday was transported back to the Beaufort County Detention Center. 

“Jarvis was previously employed by Maury Correctional Facility, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the Kinston Department of Public Safety, and was a volunteer fireman in Beaufort County,” Oldenburg said.

Jarvis was employed from September 2005 through November 2008 as a police officer for the KDPS, according to the City of Kinston. The alleged incident occurred sometime between Jan. 1, 2008 and Jan. 1, 2009, Oldenburg confirmed.

Jon Dawson can be reached at 252-559-1083 or jdawson@freedomenc.com.