LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities say a former law enforcement officer accused of molesting a young girl was found dead in his jail cell from an apparent suicide.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's Office news release says 49-year-old Christopher Wayne Stufft was found dead Thursday morning. Guards say they found a ligature around the man's neck made from items readily available to him in his cell.

Stufft was booked into jail Sunday after being arrested on a charge of sexual battery of a person under the age of 12. Authorities say he inappropriately touched and photographed the 10-year-old daughter of a woman he had been dating.

Officials say Stufft was a deputy in Charles County, Maryland, from 2004-2009 and had no prior criminal history.

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