His shady internet use was concerning. Then his wife found a flash drive, cops say

A 48-year-old man was arrested on child pornography charges after his wife discovered a flash drive full of explicit content hidden in a dresser drawer.

According to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Charles Parsons’ drive contained more than 2,000 images and 40 videos depicting child pornography. Investigators say the total amount does not include a large number of files that had already been deleted.

Parsons’ wife became concerned when she noticed that he was being protective of his his online activity and began hiding his cell phone from her. That’s when she started to search their home for clues, according to the sheriff’s office.

On the flash drive, she saw images of young female children engaged in sexual activity. According to an arrest report, Parsons did not have internet service at his house but used his mother’s wireless connection from across the street to download the content.

Parsons was arrested Thursday morning and faces 40 felony counts of possession of child pornography, but the investigation and further charges are pending. He is being held without bail.

This story was originally published November 17, 2017 at 8:56 AM with the headline "His shady internet use was concerning. Then his wife found a flash drive, cops say."