Manatee man had more than 10,000 images and videos of child porn. He will spend life in prison
A 74-year-old Manatee man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted possessing child pornography.
Rhet Redpath had pleaded no contest on Aug. 30 to the 20 counts of possession of child pornography he faced.
On Nov. 20, Redpath was sentenced by Circuit Judge Lon Arend to nearly 22 years in prison
“We are pleased with the sentencing in this case. Given the defendant’s age of 74 years old, this sentence will ensure the safety of the public for the remainder of his life,” prosecutors Lauren Benson and Scott Collins said in a statement.
Redpath, who also had a home on Block Island, was first arrested by the Newport Police Department in Rhode Island, according to court records. Newport police detectives contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after their interviews with Redpath in which he admitted to watching or sharing child pornography while using his computer in his home in Manatee.
On Aug. 22, 2018, special agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, having obtained a search warrant, searched Redpath’s home in the 8400 block of Brandeis Circle East in Sarasota. Several of Redpath’s electronic devices were seized, and during a forensic examination of those devices, numerous child pornographic videos and photos were found.
The child pornography depicted children as young as under 5 years of age, and included bestiality and sadomasochistic abuse of children. More than 10,000 child pornographic photos and videos were found on his devices.
As of Tuesday, Redpath was still being held in custody at the Manatee County jail, where he has been since his Aug. 27, 2018, arrest.
