FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrests of three men chargedwith possessing and sharing images of children being sexually abused.
Kevin Sheffield was arrested in Naples, Jason Harrison was arrested in Jacksonville, and Travis Montgomery was arrested in Bradenton this week on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
"These are arrests and charges for three different individuals for possessing, distributing, and in one case, soliciting very gross child sex abuse material. I'm not just talking about nude photos," Uthmeier said.
"Our office has officially charged three individuals, Travis Montgomery in Manatee County, for six counts of child pornography, one count of solicitation of an image from a parent or legal guardian, and one count of consumer product tampering," said Agnieszka Thomas, the assistant statewide prosecutor in the Fort Myers office for statewide prosecution, Attorney General's office.
According to Thomas, Montgomery faces up to 75 years in prison if convicted. Jason Harrison is awaiting extradition from Duval County to Hendry County and is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography and faces up to 15 years in prison. Ryan Sheffield in Collier County is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, having 10 or more images, and faces up to 150 years in prison.
Investigators say the images showed children younger than 10 years old, and some of the men tried to delete or hide evidence.
"I think these crimes are really permanent in nature. The abuse doesn't just happen when a picture is taken or when it's purchased or when it's distributed. This becomes permanent, and the abuse on these kids is happening every single time that those pictures are looked at or moved around or sold and shared. I would like to see these people go away for a long time," Uthmeier said.
The arrests come as child abuse cases continue to rise in the region, according to local advocacy groups.
"Last year in Lee County alone, we provided 6500 services to children who have been affected by abuse, sexual abuse or medical neglect," said Alicia Shannon, CEO of the Children's Advocacy Center.
Shannon, who has worked in child protection for 15 years, emphasized the lasting impacts of child abuse, particularly when technology is involved.
"Sexual abuse, neglect, medical neglect, abuse in general, has effects for years to come. It affects their emotional health, their well being, their mental well being. It also affects their brain development and their body growth and how they grow in the world. It affects the relationships that they have and their ability to trust and even feel safe in the world as they grow," Shannon said.
Law enforcement officials noted they're finding more cases as technology improves.
"I think our investigators are using new technologies and skills, and are able to identify things in a better way today than they have in the past. But I also think that the emergence of technology is giving these dangerous individuals a feeling of comfort," Uthmeier said.
The Attorney General's office warned parents to monitor their children's online activities, citing a recent case involving the gaming platform Roblox.
"We've been investigating Roblox, a gaming app where young people can get on in a social setting and play games with one another. Just two days ago, we arrested a guy in Marion County who was using this application to solicit sexual abuse material of young kids," Uthmeier said.
Officials indicated more arrests are possible as the investigation continues.
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