A Florida mother has been hit with more than 40 charges related to “grotesque” child pornography and sexual battery involving her 11-year-old daughter. The mom could face the death penalty if she is convicted of the horrific crimes.
On Monday, a 34-year-old woman from St. Petersburg was arrested by detectives and hit with 41 total charges, including 13 counts of transmission of child pornography, 13 counts of sexual performance by a child, four counts of capital sexual battery, four counts of aggravated child abuse, three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, three counts of sexual activities involving animals, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
‘This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it.’
The mother could face the death penalty if convicted of capital sexual battery of a person under 12 years of age.
The suspect was transported to the Pinellas County Jail and remains in custody without bond.
Police urged that the name of the female suspect not be released to protect the child’s identity. A 38-year-old male was also not identified because the investigation is ongoing.
Police said the man involved in the child sexual abuse material case is facing several felony charges, including child pornography and traveling to meet a minor to engage in sex.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement, “Detectives began their investigation after learning that a 38-year-old male subject was involved in obtaining child pornography and meeting with young children.”
Police said detectives determined that the male obtained child porn from the female suspect.
“Detectives learned that the woman had been forcing her 11-year-old daughter to perform sexual acts on the suspect, herself, and the family dog,” police stated. “Detectives say that the suspect would record and photograph these incidents, sharing them with a 38-year-old male.”
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said during a press conference, “The things that the mother did to the daughter are graphic, and they are grotesque.”
“During March and April of this year, the mother created at least 14 videos of her 11-year-old daughter posing at the mother’s direction and engaging in various sex acts, including bestiality with the family dog,” Gualtieri stated.
Gualtieri noted that the mother used sex toys on her daughter.
“These acts constitute sexual battery or, as commonly referred to as rape, and because of the child’s age, the mother’s crimes are capital offenses punishable by death,” Gualtieri said.
Sheriff Gualtieri said the mother admitted to forcing her daughter to perform sex acts on video and sending the videos to the man when she was interviewed by detectives.
Gualtieri added, “These cases are the worst cases of child abuse, and in this case, it’s not just sexually abusing a child; it’s gross sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother to satisfy an adult with a perverse craving for watching kids engaged in sex acts.”
Investigators are attempting to determine whether money was exchanged for the illicit videos.
Gualtieri said investigators are looking into whether the mother sent explicit videos to others.
The sheriff said the victim’s father and a sibling lived in the same home. He added that investigators do not believe the father was involved in the alleged child sex crimes. The victim is being taken care of by the father, but the Department of Children and Families is “very involved” in the case.
Gualtieri said there are no indications so far that the sibling was sexually exploited by the mother.
The mother made her first court appearance on Tuesday, when a judge ordered the suspect not to have any contact with her daughter.
WTVT-TV reported that the father was at the hearing, and he was “visibly upset and appeared to be praying at one point.”
Gualtieri stressed that there is a significant issue with child pornography crimes.
The sheriff noted that 84 different people have been booked into the Pinellas County Jail on child pornography charges since January, resulting in approximately 900 charges of possessing or distributing child pornography.
“Think about that: That’s 900 different videos of kids, mostly in the 5- to 12-year-old range, engaged in perverse sex acts for the pleasure of adults who seek, obtain, and watch these videos,” Gualtieri said.
“This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s ruining kids’ lives,” Gualtieri said of the outbreak of child porn crimes.
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