OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The Ocala Police Department (OPD) has arrested a federal corrections officer on charges of possessing child pornography.
Detectives say the investigation began last August after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about a sexually explicit image of a young girl posted on Snapchat.
After months of investigating, detectives identified 27-year-old Christopher Mason as the person associated with the Snapchat account. They say he used the alias of ‘James Griffin’ on the social media platform.
According to the arrest report, detectives say they found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in folders on Google Photos from July 1, 2022, to Aug. 30, 2023. They say they found images of females from the ages of 10-14 nude, exposed and in seductive poses.
“There was also a large amount of adult pornography and adult/child erotica stored within Mason’s Google account. Therefore, it is probably that the images listed above were all used for sexual gratification,” said detectives in the arrest report.
When authorities initially tried to interview him at OPD, they say Mason refused and told them that they could meet him at his his apartment complex. Detectives say they met Mason at the leasing office. They say he told them that he was a corrections officer at the Coleman Prison in Sumter County. According to the arrest report, Mason also had his attorney on the phone who told detectives Mason would not be answering any questions.
They arrested Mason on Oct. 10. He’s charged with five counts of possession of child pornography. Bond was set at $25,000.