𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

Today, DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Bailey and North Port Police Detective Tierney coordinated and executed a search warrant within DeSoto County. Members of the Criminal Investigative Division executed the search warrant in reference to numerous tips received that Joseph Robert Moore was in possession of child exploitation material, previously in North Port, and now in DeSoto.

These tips were received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which is responsible for disseminating the tips to the Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Our Sheriff’s Office has Detectives who are assigned to the Central Florida ICAC Task Force, which was started by the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in 1998. Detectives assigned to this task force receive specialized training on how to investigate technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children.

After completion of the search warrant, numerous electronic devices were seized for forensic analysis with additional charges to follow.

At this time, Moore is charged with four (4) counts of Possession of Child Pornography and is being housed in the DeSoto County Jail. Additional charges in North Port are pending. There are no local victims in this case.

Sheriff Potter is proud of the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office Detectives for their investigative skills, their commitment to public safety, and ability to coordinate with our other law enforcement partners.