Floral City, FL man arrested on 12 counts of child pornography
Photo graphic courtesy of CCSO.
On December 28, 2023, detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) arrested 55 year-old John Downing, Jr., of Floral City, Florida on 12 counts of possession of child pornography. Downing is currently being held at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida with his bond set at $180,000.
Detective Patrick Martin with the CCSO's High Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that associated a residence within Citrus County, Florida with possible images of child pornography. Using cutting-edge investigative methods, and the assistance of NCMEC and the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Martin confirmed that Downing did, in fact, possess multiple images and videos of child pornography.
Based on these results, Detective Martin and members of the CCSO's Criminal Investigations Division (CID), served a search warrant on Downing's residence. Investigators will review numerous other digital storage devices, seized during the search warrant, to determine if additional charges will be filed.
"Downing's possession of this repulsive material has effects that reach far beyond the borders of Citrus County," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "By possessing and hoarding these images and videos, Downing is not only creating a market for child pornography, but he is re-victimizing the children who were already exploited by these monsters. CCSO's High Tech Crimes Unit will continue to work with our state and federal partners to track criminals like Downing down and protect our communities' most vulnerable victims."