A 35-year-old Florida Department of Corrections employee from Marion County was arrested after he was accused of having sexual contact with a cat and possessing child pornography.
An investigation was launched after a cyber tip was submitted to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in reference to a user who had uploaded numerous files of child sexual abuse material to an online cloud server in August 2023, according to the MCSO arrest report.
The user was later identified as Tyler Leigh Seiters.
The arrest report stated that multiple explicit videos and images involving young children were found on the account that prompted the cyber tip. In addition, detectives located eight photos and one video depicting “self-produced sexual activity with a cat.”
A search warrant for Seiters’ residence was obtained earlier this week, and it was executed on Thursday, January 11. During a search of the home, “numerous dogs and cats” were found inside.
Detectives made contact with Seiters outside his home. After being read his Miranda rights, Seiters stated that he has been living at the residence in Marion County for a few months. He advised that he has been employed with the Florida Department of Corrections since the beginning of September, and he has also worked as a manager at a local Winn-Dixie store, according to the report.
Seiters confirmed his phone number and stated that he is the primary user of his Samsung Galaxy smartphone. In addition, he admitted to uploading files to his service provider’s cloud server.
During the post-Miranda interview, Seiters admitted to viewing and downloading child sexual abuse material “numerous times over the past few months.” He told detectives that he preferred sexually explicit images depicting “young boys with older women” due to a “fantasy” that he had, according to the report.
When detectives questioned Seiters about the photos of a cat near an exposed adult male’s genitalia, Seiters admitted that the cat belongs to his parents. He stated that the cat was “resting itself on his penis,” and he admitted to having a “level of sexual arousal by the warmth of the cat being so close to his penis,” according to the report.
Seiters was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he is currently being held on $111,500 bond. He is facing the following charges: possession of child pornography (40 counts), engaging in sexual activities involving animals (9 counts), and unlawful use of a two-way communication device (1 count).
“Due to the nature of these crimes, it is possible that Seiters may have victimized a child or other animals,” stated the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on its Facebook page. “If you or someone you know was victimized by him, please contact Detective Sutliff at (352) 368-3546.”