Parrish man arrested on child sexual abuse material charges, records show
.jpg "Detectives arrested Parker Torres on Jan. 29 and charged him with 23 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material following an investigation that began with an August tip, according to detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.")
A 21-year-old Parrish man faces multiple felony charges after detectives say they found dozens of child sexual abuse images and videos on his electronic devices.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Parker William Torres on Jan. 29 and charged him with 23 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material following a months-long investigation that began with a tip from a national organization, according to court records.
Each count is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Florida law. Court records show Torres was previously charged in December with two additional third-degree felony counts stemming from the same investigation.
An attorney representing Torres did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
According to an arrest report, the investigation started in August after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip reporting that a user on the messaging app Kik had uploaded videos depicting child sexual abuse material. Investigators said they traced the IP address associated with the uploads to a house in the 7400 block of Sea Manatee Street in Parrish.
Parrish man arrested in child sex abuse material case
Deputies searched the Parrish home in December and spoke with Torres, who allegedly told investigators the Kik account and email address linked to the uploads were his, according to an arrest report.
Torres directed deputies to a folder on his laptop labeled “NL,” which he said stood for “Not Legal,” and told them he was the only person with access to his password-protected iPhone and laptop, according to the report. He allegedly told investigators he had “a problem with pornography and wants to get help,” according to the report, explaining that he had traded videos involving children online.
Investigators reported locating suspected child sexual abuse material on the laptop during the search. Deputies arrested Torres on Dec. 2 and charged him with two counts of possessing child sexual abuse material, both third-degree felonies, according to court records.
He posted a $10,000 bond and was released Dec. 5 under electronic monitoring and pretrial supervision, court records show.
After the devices were submitted for a full forensic examination, investigators said they recovered 23 additional images and videos, including files that had been deleted but remained on the hard drive. The arrest report states the material depicted children ranging in age from 3 to 16 years old. Because Torres allegedly possessed 10 or more such files, prosecutors charged the new counts as second-degree felonies under Florida law, court records show.
Deputies arrested Torres again Jan. 29 after a judge issued a warrant on the new charges. The court revoked his earlier bond, and he remains in jail pending arraignment.
Both cases remain open. Torres is scheduled to appear March 13 before Circuit Judge Teri K. Dees. Torres previously entered a plea of not guilty in the December case, according to court records.
