SARASOTA, Fla. — A Sarasota man is behind bars after deputies say he shared multiple images and videos of child pornography online.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office says it began investigating after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about more than 30 photos and videos depicting child pornography on Google and Tumblr.
Detectives tracked the IP address and connected the images to Joshua Bright, 33, according to the sheriff's office.
This led to a search of Bright's Google and Tumblr accounts which yielded 42 additional illegal images and videos showing children from 5 to 16 years old, deputies say.
During an interview, detectives say Bright admitted to sending the illegal images to others online and then trying to destroy his cellphone by throwing it in a pond.
Bright was arrested Wednesday and charged with 40 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and a single count of transmission of child sexual abuse material by electronic device.
He is being held without bond while the investigation continues.
