SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office has selected its 2016 Investigator of the Year.
OCSO Investigator Michael Evans has served with distinction since 2008 and has excelled since his promotion to Internet Crimes Against Children investigator, according to a media release from the OSCO. Last year he conducted nearly 70 successful investigations involving sexual predators and recently joined a Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force. Colleagues have recognized his work Florida-wide and he is praised repeatedly for his expertise by agencies he assists.
In one national case, Evans uncovered evidence of a father and son team in possession of multiple images of child pornography. Investigator Evans arrested them and found one was previously arrested in another jurisdiction for targeting children.
In another case, he identified a local victim and charged the suspect with lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 as well as the promotion of a sexual performance by a child. That work prevented future victimization of a local child.
In April, Mike was the lead on a disturbing email case threatening school violence in Okaloosa County. He and his team worked all night to analyze multiple IP addresses, encrypted e-mail files, overseas internet servers and websites. The sender of the e-mail went to great lengths to disguise his identity. After working 24 hours, Evans traveled to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office to conduct an interview with the person of interest. He determined that the subject was likely a victim of cyberbullying, and the incident was a hoax designed to attract law enforcement attention. His outstanding and timely work in this case quickly relieved the community’s concerns about the threats.
Investigator Evans is also active in youth sports, coaching and serving on the board of the Baker Area Youth Association for T-ball and football. He served as the Child Protection Volunteer for the BAYA and completed background checks on all program volunteers, dedicating 173 hours of his time to area youths.
Evans has dedicated his career to targeting child predators who prey upon our kids. Each case he works has a far-reaching positive effect by saving many victims from sexual abuse. The quality and tenacity of his work exemplify his commitment and perseverance. That is why he is the OSCO 2016 Investigator of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Sheriff's employee is the 2016 Investigator of the Year