A onetime senior strategist for Evan McMullin's 2016 presidential campaign, has been reportedly arrested in Florida on allegations of child sex abuse.
Joel Searby, 43, is the managing director of the Forward Party in Utah. He's well known in the state for his efforts to offer an alternative to the traditional two-party system.
The new political entity gained official recognition near the end of 2023. Businessman Andrew Yang and former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman (R) co-founded the party in October 2021.
Details of the Charges
Searby was booked into the Alachua County Jail in Newberry, Florida, last week on several charges, including communication to entice a minor, communication to travel to meet a minor, lewd and lascivious behavior and using a communication device to commit a felony.
The arrest followed a Snapchat exchange between Searby, also the member of the Newberry Education First board, and a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday, during which Searby reportedly initiated inappropriate conversations and sent explicit images. He then allegedly suggested that he meet him at his guest house in Florida.
According to reports, Searby began by asking the teen if he had ever had a crush on an older male.
The former anti-Trump McMullin strategist then shared details of sexual encounters he had with older adults when he was younger. Searby sent the teenager images with his face disguised in them, including one with his hand in his pants. Lastly, he suggested the teen sneak out to meet up the following morning.
A judge ordered Searby to be held without bond at his first court appearance on Friday.
“Evidence is pretty damning, and it's scary for me as a parent,” local parent Brandy Oldman told WCJB TV20 Gainesville:
On Thursday morning, law enforcement took over the boy's account and continued the conversation with Searby. He confirmed the meet-up for “yard work” and a detective pretending to be the victim asked if they would be “jerking off” or something more.
Searby replied to the victim's account, “I would like to do more but we can take it one step at a time and if I start doing anything you don't want to do we can stop. I'll walk you through it.”
Detectives then executed a search warrant at Searby's home on Southwest 170th Street and he was taken into custody. Searby invoked his right to remain silent. He was booked into the Alachua County Jail and his bond has yet to be set.
Searby was on the Newberry Education First board and represented the charter school campaign group in interviews with the media, including TV20.
“If they would've got their way with these votes he could be in these schools around our kids, and a lot of kids won't come forward,” Oldman warned.
Searby's Political Career
Before his involvement with the Forward Party, Searby join McMullin, a former CIA officer and a prominent figure in the #NeverTrump movement, in his longshot bid to win the race for the White House.
He has been actively engaging with political discourse through his Substack, “New Way Politics,” where he discusses independent political strategies and the need for a centrist, solutions-oriented approach to governance.
McMullin's campaign did not have a measurable impact on the final nationwide results of the 2016 presidential election.
However, it played a significant role in Utah and demonstrated the potential for independent and third-party candidates to play the spoiler in competitive races.
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