SARASOTA, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) – Venica man arrested Monday by Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for possession of material on child sexual abuse.
Detectives received a tip in September from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) after four videos and two photos of child pornography were uploaded to Snapchat. Through investigation, detectives used the IP address used to upload the images to identify Bengt Francke, 31, as the suspect.
A search conducted by detectives of his computer and cell phone yielded more than 50 explicit photos and videos of victims ranging in age from 3 to 14 years. Through investigation, detectives learned that Francke had obtained the photos and video files from a Snapchat group and later distributed them to other people through the same mobile application.
Francke, from 591 Clubside Circle, is charged with 50 counts of possession of material for the sexual abuse of children and a single case of transferring material of sexual abuse of children via electronic device. He remains in custody today without restraint while the investigation continues.
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