Justin Pawlowski, a Tampa, Florida, sports broadcaster and host of the Bucs Uncensored podcast, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly attempting to solicit sex from a 14-year-old boy.
Pawlowski was hit with charges of transmitting harmful material to a minor, using a computer device to solicit a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
The sportscaster was arrested at his St. Petersburg home and booked into the Pinellas County jail early on Wednesday morning. He was freed the same day after posting a $6,000 bail, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Pawlowski was nabbed via a police sting using the Internet, officials reported. The sportscaster thought he had met a boy in a chat room and began chatting him up to meet for sex. Police say that at one point, Pawlowski sent an explicit photo of himself.
After his arrest, a police report says that they found the bait boy’s contact info and the explicit selfie on Pawlowski’s computer. Officials also say that Pawlowski admitted to trying to set up a meeting with the fictitious boy.
Pawlowski played college football for the University of Connecticut in 2000 and by 2002 had returned to Tampa to begin his broadcasting career. He was known as “The Commish” to sports fans.
The sportsman worked at several Florida radio stations, including WDAE AM, and was also an announcer for the Bulls Radio Network.
Pawlowski’s Bucs Uncensored podcast is hosted by the JoeBucsFan.com, but the group says that Pawlowski handles his own podcast and they have no hand in it.
In a statement, JoeBucsFan.com, said they are, “completely stunned by the charges and certainly don’t condone anything related to these charges in any way. The future of Bucs Uncensored is unknown. JoeBucsFan.com wants to see the legal system ruling and arrest affidavits before rushing to a firm public judgment.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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