A 38-year-old man with ties to youth athletic programs in the Ocala area was arrested by the Gainesville Police Department after detectives received a tip that he was in possession of digital files containing child pornography.
According to GPD, the investigation was prompted after the police department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that a Kik user had shared videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through the messaging app.
Upon further investigation, Gainesville police learned that the explicit videos were shared and accessed from two locations that were connected to Frederick Edgar Landt IV.
On December 8, 2022, GPD served a search warrant at Landt’s residence, which is located in the 1700 block of NW 27th Terrace in Gainesville. Landt was not home when the search warrant was executed, and detectives were unable to contact him.
According to GPD, numerous electronic devices believed to be owned by Landt were collected during the search, and additional electronic devices were provided to the police department.
In January of 2023, GPD discovered that an additional cyber tip was also connected to Landt and his residence in Gainesville. According to Gainesville police, this tip contained over 20 images and videos of CSAM, along with multiple photographs of Landt.
On Monday, March 13, Landt was arrested at his residence, and he was transported to Alachua County Jail. He is being charged with 12 counts of distribution of child pornography.
“Landt IV is believed to have strong ties to youth athletic programs in the Ocala area where he previously lived,” stated GPD in a social media post. “Investigators have no reason to believe the images/videos obtained were of children he knew.”
The Gainesville Police Department encourages anyone with questions or concerns regarding this case to contact GPD Detective Donna Montague via phone (352-393-7730) or email (montagueda@cityofgainesville.org).
For more information about the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, visit the child protection organization’s website.