Bradenton man charged with transmitting porn released on $50,000 bond

BRADENTON -- A Bradenton man charged with transmitting child pornography through the Internet was granted release Friday on bonds totaling $50,000 and strict conditions including he have no contact with minors.

Vincent Tyler Alexander, who turned 21 Thursday, was arrested after a search warrant was executed at his home. The investigation into the allegations began on Oct. 14 which during the preliminary stages investigators reportedly were able found an image file containing child pornography he had uploaded from his home.

He is charged with transmission of child pornography and sexual performance by a child.

Alexander appeared before Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll for a first appearance hearing Friday afternoon. Carroll set bonds totaling $50,000 and placed him on supervised release.

Conditions of Alexander's release include no contact with minors, no alcohol or drug use, a curfew and he must wear an electronic monitoring device.

Alexander's grandmoth

er sat quietly in the back of the courtroom, watching her grandson on the television monitor. When asked if she wished to address the courtroom, she shook her head no and began to sob quietly.

The Public Defender Office's said Alexander has lived in Manatee County his entire life and his only criminal history was an arrest for battery when he was a juvenile, which was later dropped.

The State Attorney's Office argued for high bonds due to the nature of the allegations and because some admissions were allegedly made by Alexander.

The Public Defender's Office was appointed to represent him.

Alexander admitted to trading child pornography images on a regular basis, according to a report. He said he finds child pornography interesting, but was never sexually gratified by them.

According to the sheriff's office, Alexander said he understood the severity of being in possession of child pornography and it was illegal, but continued to trade because he was interested in child pornography. The investigation remains ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.

Anyone with information about the case can call the sheriff's office at 941-747-3011.

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter @JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 11:49 PM with the headline "Bradenton man charged with transmitting porn released on $50,000 bond."