September 18, 2008
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
CyberCrime Unit Arrests Orange County College Student for Possession of Child Pornography
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his CyberCrime Unit has arrested an Orange County college student on charges of child pornography possession. Ryan Alexander Conrad was arrested today by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators discovered Conrad’s possession of child pornography during an undercover internet investigation that identified a known image of child pornography and traced the files back to Conrad’s computer. A search warrant was executed at Conrad’s Winter Park residence and his computer was seized, along with additional computer equipment. The computer, which contained images of a child appearing to be as young as four years old, and other equipment seized will undergo additional forensic analysis to determine whether any additional images of child pornography are present.
Conrad, 19, was booked into the Orange County Jail. He will be charged with one count of possession of child pornography, a second-degree felony enhancement because of the number of child pornography videos found on his computer, and nine counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 60 years in prison. Additional charges could also be added at a later date. A copy of his booking photograph will be available from the Orange County Jail when the booking process has been completed.
The CyberCrime Unit's mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The unit does this by working cooperatively on a statewide basis with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources and expertise, while preventing the spread of these crimes through education and community awareness. The CyberCrime Unit is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) of Central Florida.