OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has charged a 21-year-old man with Possession of Child Pornography.
Story
Detectives with MCSO received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating a Snapchat account uploaded a file of child sexual abuse material to the platform.
Detectives discovered through investigation that 21-year-old Om Patel uploaded the file.
They also learned that numerous child sexual abuse files were uploaded to his account before Snapchat banned it.
MCSO detectives contacted Patel to conduct an interview, where they say he admitted to the Snapchat account belonging to him. Patel informed deputies he obtained the files from a WhatsApp group and sent them to a Snapchat friend.
Patel showed detectives the WhatsApp group, which detectives say contained “dozens” of videos of pornography shared amongst users.
Patel originally denied that he ever watched the videos he sent to his friend, “Rocky,” but later admitted to recalling two.
Arrest
MCSO detectives placed Patel under arrest on Tuesday, December 10. He is currently charged with 10 separate counts of Possession of Child Pornography, along with one count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony.
The MCSO inmate page documents his bond at $22,000, which he reportedly posted on Wednesday, December 11.
Patel has a court date coming up on January 14.