Three charged with possession of child sexual abuse material
Florida’s Attorney General paid a visit to Fort Myers Friday afternoon to announce charges being brought against three suspected child predators.
Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is charging Travis Montgomery of Manatee County, Kevin Sheffield of Collier County, and Jason Grant Harrison of Hendry County, with possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges result from a Florida Department of Law Enforcement statewide operation, officials said.
“These arrests reflect our ongoing commitment to child protection. If you are trying to prey on kids, we are watching, and we are coming for you,” said Uthmeier in the press conference. “Thanks to our partners at FDLE, these pedophiles now face our Statewide Prosecutors, who will ensure they are held accountable for their crimes. We will continue working hard to defend children and make our home safe, strong, and free.”
According to the investigation, Montgomery communicated with an individual from the state of Washington, who sent images of the person’s young children to Montgomery. Montgomery is being charged with six counts of possession of CSAM, one count of solicitation of an image from a parent or legal guardian of sexual conduct involving a child, and one count of consumer product tampering. Officials said there will be additional counts of possession of or distribution of pornography containing bestiality added later.
Authorities state they uncovered Sheffield’s offenses while conducting an investigation on the BitTorrent network, where offenders often share child pornography. The investigation uncovered Sheffield downloaded several torrent streams that contained CSAM, according to Uthmeier’s office. Sheffield is charged with 10 counts of possession of CSAM. According to the FDLE investigation, Sheffield had 10 or more images on his devices and downloaded hundreds of images since 2022.
Investigators state they also uncovered Harrison downloading and then subsequently deleting multiple files depicting CSAM. Harrison is charged with three counts of possession of CSAM.
“FDLE has long led the charge in investigating child sexual abuse material and exploitation cases,” said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass. “The individuals here are accused of preying on the most innocent and vulnerable among us-children who are too often victimized in horrific, unimaginable ways. Let me be clear: if you exploit or harm a child in Florida, FDLE will find you and we will hold you accountable.”
Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Agnieszka Thomas will handle these cases.