Palmetto man charged with 10 counts of child pornography possession, cops say

A 76-year-old Palmetto man is facing 10 charges of child pornography possession for images that include kids as young as 1 year old, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Donald Lester was arrested Wednesday at his home in the 4800 block of 29th Street East, according to the arrest report.

Deputies say they received a tip from the Microsoft Corporation that an IP address belonging to Lester had accessed an image of child pornography on April 8 and an investigation was launched by the Crimes Against Children unit.

Lester continued to download images through August and September, deputies say. In all, 353 images were found after detectives completed a forensic investigation of Lester’s computer.

He was booked into the Manatee County jail on 10 separate felony counts and is being held without bond pending a future court date.