A 48-year-old Gainesville man was arrested this week after local authorities received a tip from a national agency that videos depicting child pornography had been uploaded to a social media platform.
The Gainesville Police Department stated that the investigation was prompted after police received a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to the tip, Meta had determined that a user had uploaded and shared child sexual abuse material on their platform on two separate occasions.
A GPD detective conducted an investigation and determined that the videos had been uploaded and shared from an account belonging to David Christopher Williams. On Thursday, the GPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Division and SWAT Team served a search warrant at Williams’ apartment located in the 1100 block of NW 45th Avenue in Gainesville.
Officers made contact with Williams. After being read his Miranda rights, Williams admitted that he owned the account in question. He told investigators that he “messed up,” and he further stated that he was “going through a dark place” when he distributed the videos.
Williams was arrested and transported to Alachua County Jail. He is facing felony charges for distribution of child pornography (two counts).
In a social media post, the Gainesville Police Department stated that it “wants parents to be aware that children are being solicited and exploited through social networking and messaging apps.”
The police department added, “We encourage parents to have age-appropriate conversations with their children about the dangers of the internet. Please be vigilant and aware of any social networking platforms your children may access.”