Former Clay County School Board candidate makes first appearance in jail

CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Clay County man is facing multiple charges relating to attempting to entice a minor for unlawful sex acts following an investigation by the Clay County Sheriffs Office.

46-year-old Aaron Knowles faced a judge this morning following his arrest on Tuesday.

According to CCSO, the Internet Crimes Against Children/Forensic Unit, the SWAT Team and FBI Jacksonville executed a search warrant at an Orange Park home. Knowles is accused of soliciting sex from who he believed to be a 14-year-old child. He, on multiple occasions, tried to solicit sexual acts and asked for lewd images.

Investigators seized multiple electronics from the scene. Knowles confessed and was booked into the Clay County Jail on two counts of use of an electronic device to lure, solicit or entice a child to engage in an unlawful sex act and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Knowles was at one point a candidate for the Clay County School Board in 2020 and is a professor at the St. Johns River State College. He told the judge this morning that he has worked at the college for six years.

In 2018, Knowles received the Distinguished New Faculty Award, presented to a “rising star” faculty member with under five years of teaching experience. The college stated that it was awarded to Knowles for “demonstrating strength with original instructional techniques and creative ways of thinking to successfully guide students into the future. Knowles also possesses the breadth of expertise, sensitivity, enthusiasm and dedication required for this award. Additionally, he demonstrates a strong ability to inspire students to perform beyond normal expectations and is responsive to addressing needs within and outside the classroom.”

The Judge set the bond to a total of $50,006. If Knowles is released, he is to have no contact with minors and is not allowed to access the internet.

His next court date is set for January 4, 2021.

Cox Media Group