The Orange County utility worker who last month discovered the remains of Caylee Anthony in a wooded area near the girl's grandparents' home was arrested in the early 1990s on kidnapping charges.
Roy Kronk, an Orange County water meter reader, found Caylee's remains Dec. 11 off Suburban Drive, less than half a mile from the Hopespring Drive home of George and Cindy Anthony, where Caylee lived with her mother, Casey Anthony.
Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in her daughter's death.
Kronk said in a statement issued to Local 6 News that the kidnapping involved a domestic situation with a man who was living with his former girlfriend.
"In the early 1990s, while on duty with the U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Florida, I had a girlfriend who made the decision to discontinue her relationship with me and move to South Carolina to reside with another man. At some time after her departure, she called me and asked me to come to South Carolina and help her move away from that individual. I travelled to South Carolina to assist her. Upon my arrival in South Carolina, the man she was living with engaged me in a confrontation. As a result of that confrontation, I was arrested based on false allegations that I had kidnapped my former girlfriend. The matter was submitted to a grand jury in South Carolina. The grand jury determined that there was no probable cause to bring charges against me. In recognition of the falsity of these allegations, all records relating to this arrest were expunged by the South Carolina court."
"When I applied for employment by Orange County, since the records of this arrest had been expunged, I would have been within my rights to not disclose this incident. However, I chose to disclose this arrest and the expungement of the records because I had nothing to hide and have a personal policy of openness and honesty about events in my life," the statement said.
Local 6 News has confirmed that the information is included in the criminal background check conducted on Kronk prior to his hiring with Orange County.
Meanwhile, Kronk will likely give a network television interview next week, although it's not known if he will be paid a licensing fee for any videos or pictures he intends to sell.
Kronk's attorney, David Evans, said that it is likely his client will give the interview either Monday or Tuesday. Evans would not say which network would conduct the interview. It's customary for networks to pay expenses for its guests -- which Evans said would happen -- but he would not say if Kronk was "being paid for his interview".
"Roy Kronk lost his wife to cancer last year, and that battle brought him down to his last dime," said Evans, who added that he would like to find a way to get his client some compensation.
(editor's note: 'compensation' for his wife's fatal cancer? That has no involvement in the Caylee Anthony case whatsoever. Those you you who read my blog know that I am fighting cancer. I am sorry for what had to have been a terrible fight for his wife and I sympathize her loss. However, I do not feel that Kronk needs to be compensated for "his wife's cancer" that occured a year ago, nor should it even be mentioned alongside his findings of Caylee's remains. I also do not feel Kronk needs to be compensated for any interview having to do with the finding of Caylee's remains. If the media outlet wants to extend payment, it should go to a "legitimate" trust set up in Caylee's name for other missing children. Mark Klass and the KlassKids Foundation is a perfect example.) Kronk's only comments since the discovery were made three weeks ago when he held a news conference and issued a brief statement.
"Back in August of this year, I had previously reported to Crimeline and to the sheriff's communications center that I had spotted something suspicious, a bag in the same area," Kronk said in August. "I have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation by the sheriff's office and the FBI. I have provided detailed information to law enforcement but I respectfully decline at this time to get into the details of what I saw at the crime scene."
There are numerous conspiracy theories that have circulated about Kronk's role in the case, and Evans said his client feels the time is right to set the record straight. Evans said he is preparing Kronk for all types of scrutiny.
Sources tell Local 6 News that Kronk and Evans have been unwilling to sit down and answer any questions from Anthony's defense team.
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