Polk County Firefighter Charged with 22 Counts of Child Porn

A Polk County firefighter has resigned after being charged with 22 counts of child pornography possession.

The 49-year-old Lake Wales man was arrested Monday, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The investigation started March 6 with a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Images of children were flagged to an IP address at his home, authorities allege.

A search warrant was executed Monday at the man’s home. He was arrested there, and several electronic and digital storage devices were seized.

The man told investigators he was searching for “regular” porn and found child porn. He further explained that he was not looking for child porn.

His bond was set at $110,000 — $5,000 per count of child pornography possession.

The man resigned immediately after he was arrested.

An arrest for child porn can bring about much humiliation and shame. This is especially true if the images in question were not something you were aware of or something you were looking for.

Police in Florida are constantly tracking and prosecuting those downloading illegal child pornography. If you accidentally downloaded images from a website or source that the police monitor, then just deleting the image may not be enough to prevent an investigation and accusations.

People make mistakes all the time. Accidentally downloading child porn is quite common and sadly, most people do not know what to do after this happens as they are embarrassed and just want to pretend it never happened. Even if you did not mean to obtain the content, you still need to cover all your bases. The best thing you can do is contact our Florida Child Pornography Defense Attorneys at Whittel & Melton. We can review the facts and best advise you on how to handle the situation in a positive way.

Child porn charges are serious. Let us help you through this stressful and emotional time. Call us today at 866-608-5529 for a free consultation or contact us online.