OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) has arrested an Ocala man on 20 counts of possession of child pornography.
MCSO booked 55-year-old James Robert Crafton, Jr. into jail on Aug. 10. A detective from MCSO’s major crimes unit was conducting an online investigation back in April, looking for individuals who were sharing files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Detective Nicholas Sutliff says he located an IP address in Marion County and downloaded 487 files, many of which depicted CSAM and child erotica.
MCSO says the investigation determined that Crafton was responsible for sharing the files, and obtained a warrant to search Crafton’s home on Southeast 58 Place in Ocala.
A post on MCSO’s Facebook page says, “While the home was searched for Crafton’s electronic devices, detectives conducted an interview with him. Crafton ultimately indicated that he had downloaded CSAM on multiple occasions. He then described the process by which he obtained the files.” During a preview of Crafton’s cell phone, detectives say they located applications designed to conceal existing files and that they located numerous files depicting CSAM within the apps.
Due to the nature of the crimes, detectives believe it is possible that Crafton may have victimized a child. If you or someone you know was victimized, you’re urged to contact Detective Sutliff at (352) 368-3546.