STARKE — A 59-year-old Bradford County man faces up to 30 years in prison after investigators linked him to 31 cyber tips flagging child sexual abuse material uploaded to his Facebook account, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced.
Gary Adams of Starke was arrested at his residence and charged with five counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device. He is being held at the Bradford County Jail on $850,000 bond.
“Sharing images and videos of child sexual abuse is a predator’s way of controlling the victims, and we cannot allow that cycle to continue,” said Attorney General Uthmeier. “Anyone possessing or distributing these materials is contributing to the abuse. We will continue hunting down every child predator in Florida and ensure they remain behind bars.”
The investigation began when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Adams was sharing and uploading child sexual abuse material to his Facebook account. Investigators subsequently connected an additional 31 cyber tips to the defendant’s account. FDLE and the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office executed the arrest five days after the initial tip.
Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Kelsey Bledsoe will prosecute the case in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed.