James Uthmeier announces arrest of suspected sexual predator on First Coast
Attorney General James Uthmeier has charged another suspect he says is connected to sexually-charged content on the internet and the social media platform Snapchat.
A First Coast man was arrested and accused of three felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material along three other counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Luke Sedlock of Green Cove Springs in Clay County is in that county’s jail on a $600,000 bond. He’s also prohibited from contact with anyone under the age of 18 and cannot have access to any devices with internet access, according to a news release issued by Uthmeier’s office.
Uthmeier said Sedlock was arrested Sept. 11 following an initial investigation launched by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Investigators with FDLE received several tips about Sedlock in August from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“Over and over again, our office is prosecuting predators who are using Snapchat to trade disgusting content and victimize children. Protecting our kids is my utmost priority,” Uthemeier said. “Our statewide prosecutors will ensure that this predator is held accountable for his abhorrent behavior.”
Officers with the Green Cove Springs Police Department executed the search warrant at Sedlock’s Northeast Florida home. Law enforcement personnel seized Sedlock’s electronic devices. Uthmeier said they contained material that involved sexual abuse with young children and animals.
Uthmeier’s office has stepped up charging what he calls sexual predators since he took over the Attorney General’s Office after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis when Ashley Moody was elevated from the top prosecutor in the state to U.S. Senator to replace Marco Rubio who advanced to Secretary of State in President Donald Trump‘s administration.
Uthmeier’s Statewide Prosecutor’s Office has handled several such cases. In May, he linked Snapchat and a gaming application called Roblex to accused child predators in Southwest Florida. There have been several other subsequent cases involving Snapchat that Uthmeier’s office has been involved in through this Summer.
Snapchat has pushed back. In June, the online platform petitioned a federal judge to pause a lawsuit Uthmeier filed against the platform.
Snap, Inc., the parent company for the popular communication platform, filed a motion asking U.S. District Court Judge Mark Walker to dismiss the case, or at least put the matter on hold until a separate tech industry challenge to Florida’s social media law plays out.
Uthmeier in April sued Snap for knowingly violating a social media law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last year. That law bars anyone under age 14 from having a social media account, and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to obtain parental permission to have one.
___
Florida Politics writer Jacob Ogles contributed to this report.
Post Views: 0
