Bradenton man’s phone had child sex abuse images. He just got sentenced to prison
A 26-year-old Bradenton man faces decades in prison after a law enforcement investigation found hundreds of child sexual abuse images on his phone.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Vinceson James Dixon in August 2022 and charged him with 50 counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials. The agency’s investigation followed a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Dixon pleaded no contest to 30 of the 50 counts in October, according to court records. On Dec. 12, Manatee County Judge Matt Whyte sentenced him to 33 years and 1 month in prison.
Dixon’s attorney did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment. But court records show Dixon has filed an appeal against his sentence.
Tip led sheriff’s office to investigate and arrest Bradenton man
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Dixon in August 2022 after detectives said they found at least 50 images and videos of child sexual abuse on Dixon’s cell phone.
In February 2022, the sheriff’s office said they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about the distribution of possible child sexual abuse material. The tip said that a Dropbox account with the username “Mike Jones” allegedly uploaded five files containing suspected child sexual abuse material.
An IP address linked to the Dropbox account had a Bradenton address, according to an arrest report.
When detectives arrived at Dixon’s house on July 27, 2022, they said he was unwilling to speak with law enforcement until they returned with a search warrant later that day.
During the interview that followed, detectives say Dixon denied intentionally seeking out child sexual abuse material. According to an arrest report, Dixon told detectives that he regularly downloaded adult pornography and sometimes child sexual abuse material would get mixed in. Dixon claimed he would set aside or delete those materials, the report said.
Hundreds of abuse images found on Bradenton man’s phone
Detectives said Dixon provided them with the passcodes to his electronic devices, and they seized several of them, including his cell phone.
The sheriff’s office forensically reviewed Dixon’s electronic devices, where investigators say they found hundreds of images or videos depicting child sexual abuse and child erotica on his cell phone.
An analysis of the phone revealed 340 images and videos of child sexual abuse material and several other images and videos of child erotica, according to an arrest record.
The sheriff’s office’s investigation determined there was enough evidence to charge Dixon for 50 of the images and videos on his phone, which detectives said depicted young girls and boys anywhere from 3 to 15 years old.
Bradenton man files appeal in child sex abuse images case
Court records also show that Dixon has filed an appeal against his sentence.
A person who enters a plea of guilty or no contest typically gives up their right to appeal, but Florida law still allows it under certain circumstances. They include a sentencing error, an involuntary plea, a violation of a plea agreement or a defendant who reserved the right to appeal.
