A 33-year-old Marion County man is behind bars after he allegedly used a popular mobile messaging app to upload several videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
Back on Tuesday, May 20, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which indicated that a Kik user had uploaded two files containing child pornography, according to the arrest report.
An investigation was launched by MCSO, and a “series of database searches” allegedly revealed that the Kik account in question belonged to Ocklawaha resident Blake Austin West. A search warrant was then served for additional information related to his email and social media accounts.
A detective discovered during the investigation that West had allegedly used his Kik account to upload and send four videos depicting child sexual abuse material to another individual. These files were uploaded from a residence located on SE 171st Court in Ocklawaha, according to the sheriff’s office.
MCSO further stated that West had “numerous conversations with users who are believed to be children.” During these conversations, West allegedly “asked for pictures,” and he allegedly instructed a 14-year-old and 15-year-old to “tell him that they were 18” in order to “make their conversations legal.”
On Thursday, December 18, West was placed under arrest and booked into Marion County Jail, where he remains in custody. His bond has been set at $40,000, and he is being charged with four counts of possession of child pornography.
A court date for West has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.