A 24-year-old former preschool teacher from Gainesville was sentenced to 120 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to four counts of production of child pornography.
The sentence was announced on Tuesday by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court records, between December 2020 and September 2021, while employed at a local preschool and daycare center, Trevor Alec Hruby sexually victimized and produced sexually explicit images of numerous children in his care. The images were found in his possession and involved minors who were under the age of 6.
“There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”
In a statement, Chief Lonnie Scott of the Gainesville Police Department said, “One of the primary responsibilities of law enforcement is to protect our most precious resources: our children. I offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the collaboration between the Gainesville Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office in removing this threat from our community.”
“Together, working with our community, we will diligently pursue those that prey on our children and make sure they never have the opportunity to victimize another child,” added Chief Scott.
If released from imprisonment, Hruby will be supervised for the remainder of his life. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions. In addition, the court ordered $142,500 in restitution to provide for counseling to the victims.
“Instead of protecting vulnerable children in our community, this defendant chose to abuse his position of authority and sexually exploit them,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. She added that Hruby’s sentence “demonstrates the unwavering dedication of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to seek justice for our most innocent victims.”
The case was investigated by the Gainesville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney F.T. Williams.
Hruby is also facing separate, related state charges which are being prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the 8th Judicial Circuit.