Child Porn Charges Filed Against Manatee County Man: FDLE

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Jarreth Kendall Perkins, a 26-year-old Manatee County man, was arrested Thursday and charged with 15 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a news release.

Normally, this is a third-degree felony under Florida law, but due to the number of images and the nature of the sexual battery against the children in each image, each count has been enhanced to a second-degree felony charge, FDLE said.

The investigation into Perkins began in April, when FDLE received information that an online address was being used to share multiple files depicting child sexual abuse.

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On May 27, FDLE agents served a search warrant at his home and took a laptop computer found in his bedroom. Images of child sexual abuse were found on the computer during a forensic exam, the agency said.

Perkins was booked into the Sarasota County Jail and will be brought to Manatee County. Additional charges could be added after additional forensics exams.