ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – An Escambia County man has been arrested for possession of child sexual abuse material, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said today.
The FDLE said William David Pettus, 76, of Molino, was arrested on 25 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material in violation of Florida Statute 827.071(5).
Escambia County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest on an FDLE arrest warrant. Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the case.
The investigation began last August after agents identified child sexual abuse material being shared from a computer in Escambia County, the FDLE said in today’s announcement.
Agents obtained and executed a search warrant at Pettus’ residence in February. Forensic examinations of his electronic devices uncovered evidence of videos featuring children being abused, according to the FDLE.
Pettus was arrested yesterday and booked into the Escambia County Jail on $625,000 bond. The case will be prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney, 1st Judicial Circuit.
