HERNANDO COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) arrested a man on charges that include 13 counts of sexual activity with animals.
HCSO says they were originally investigating a possible child pornography case. They say they homed in on 34-year-old Aaron Randall from Spring Hill.
Detectives with HCSO say they obtained a search warrant to go through Randall’s online accounts, and then served it to his social media provider.
Detectives searched through Randall’s account and say they found 13 files containing sexual activities involving animals. They also looked through Randall’s direct messages and found multiple conversations where his account appeared to have advertised sexually explicit videos for sale.
Detectives say the conversation mentioned a juvenile female being involved in the videos. They say a price list was also mentioned that detailed various sex acts and services to watch live-streaming videos of child exploitation material. Detectives say Randall’s account showed he received payments on a popular cellphone banking application.
Detectives showed up at Randall’s residence at 10512 Blytheville Road in Spring Hill on September 11. They say that he admitted to detectives during an interview that he owned the social media account. They say he further admitted to viewing and possessing the files containing sexual activities involving animals.
HCSO says Randall confessed to “scamming pedophiles” for money but maintains that he never distributed child pornography to anyone. Randall told detectives that he had earned “a few thousand dollars” over the last couple of years from his scams.
HCSO says Randall also confessed to using his ex-girlfriend’s identity to hide his own.
Detectives then conducted a thorough search of Randall’s home. They say they found 2.7 grams of methamphetamine on his bed. Randall told detectives that he used Methamphetamine to concentrate as he couldn’t get a prescription for Adderall.
Randall was arrested by detectives at his home. The 34-year-old is currently charged with:
- Sexual Activities Involving Animals (13 counts)
- Money Laundering
- Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information
- Possession of Methamphetamine
He is currently held on a $77,500 bond.