SEBRING, Fla. (WFLA) – A 72-year-old Sebring man has been charged with 300 counts of possession of child pornography.
Ronald William Wells was booked after an investigation that began in January discovered 300 images of child pornography on a laptop computer taken from his home on Iris Avenue.
Deputies received a tip on Jan. 6 from the Special Victims Unit was forwarded a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an uploaded file contained child pornography.
After search warrants were issued to the internet provider, the investigation revealed that the image had been uploaded from the Iris Avenue home.
A search warrant was executed in March, and Ronald Wells’ son, David William Wells, 43 was arrested that day and charged with 14 counts of possession of child pornography. The next day, an additional 49 counts of possession of child pornography were filed against David Wells.
During the search at the home, Highlands sheriff’s detectives located a laptop belonging to Ronald Wells, and a forensic inspection of the device discovered 300 child pornography images, as well as a search history filled with specific child pornography terms.
The elder Wells’ bond has yet to be set. David Wells is still in jail after being arrested in March.