Freeport man arrested on multiple child pornography charges

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – A Freeport man was arrested on more than a dozen child pornography charges following an investigation by the Walton County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) and Internet Crimes Unit.

According to WCSO, the investigation began earlier this year when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) alerted authorities to 34-year-old Timothy Watson, who allegedly sent child sexual abuse material in several emails.

The case was initially assigned to the Tallahassee Police Department, but was transferred to WCSO after the investigation revealed that the IP address used to transmit the material to Freeport could be traced.

In March, Google LLC was granted a search warrant for the email accounts reported by the NCMEC tip. The search warrant revealed numerous files containing child pornography, according to WCSO.

After an extensive records review, investigators obtained a search warrant for Watson's home. On Wednesday morning, the WCSO Cybercrime Unit and SWAT team searched Watson's Dicken's Drive residence.

Numerous electronic devices were seized during the search, including Watson's phone. An on-site review of the devices reportedly confirmed data linking them to the email addresses provided in the NCMEC notice.

Watson was charged with 18 counts of possession of child pornography, 28 counts of sending child pornography and using a two-way communication device in the commission of a crime. He was booked into the Walton County Jail and awaits his first court date.

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