AVON PARK, Fla. – A Florida man was arrested Tuesday and is facing 1,182 counts of child pornography in addition to four supplemental charges for being in possession of beastiality porn. The enormous collection of sickening material might well be the largest accumulation of child porn ever found in the possession of a single American, law enforcement authorities said, as there are more than a dozen electronic devices yet to be searched.
Johnathan Jhovanni Hernandez, 23, of Avon Park, Florida was identified as the suspect after he was originally taken into custody December 29 on two counts of possession of child pornography, two counts of transmitting child pornograpy, and one count of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony as a result of evidence found connected to his Discord account.
Discord is an instant messenger-like app that, according to its website, “is a voice, video, and text chat app that’s used by tens of millions of people ages 13+ to talk and hang out with their communities and friends.”
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said, “At that time… the investigation was just getting started and there would likely be more charges. What we should have said was there would likely be A LOT more charges – like more than anyone in our county … ever,” according to the Post Millennial.
Once the charges were amended, investigators had merely looked through just one of 15 electronic devices that was seized from the defendant after law enforcement authorities followed-up on tips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Daily Mail reported.
Hernandez was originally arrested on December 29 facing only four charges and released on bond. A comb through just one of his 15 devices saw the charges skyrocket. (Highlands County Sheriff’s Office)
There is no telling how many charges he could face if detectives went through all the devices. They say Hernandez’s collection of child porn is the largest they have ever seen.
Just one of those devices brought the charges up to nearly 1,200, with police arresting Hernandez, again, on Tuesday.
Along with the child porn charges, Hernandez was also charged with four counts of possession of beastiality images under a new law that went into effect last October.
The investigation against Hernandez began in August, where tips led investigators to obtain search warrants for the man’s Discord account, which was found to have child porn.
After the original charges were filed, Hernanez was released on bail. However, investigators executed a search of Hernandez’s home and confiscated 15 electronic devices, which revealed the avalanche of child porn.
Hernandez was booked in jail following Tuesday’s arrest and is being held on a $2.4 million bond. Base upon the charges currently filed, he face a life sentence if convicted of all charges, the Daily Mail reported.
The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains ongoing as detectives look through the other 14 devices taken from Hernandez’s home.
