Deputies: Domestic 911 call in Lake City leads to child porn arrest

Jesse Ritchey, 28, had 20 images of child porn on his phone, deputies say

LAKE CITY, Fla. – A 911 call to investigate a domestic disturbance turned into a child pornography investigation that landed a man in jail on $250,000 bond, according to Columbia County deputies.

Jesse Allen Ritchey, 28, was charged with one count of possessing or promoting child pornography, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

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Investigators said they were tipped off to the child pornography by Ritchey’s wife. 

According to the arrest warrant, Ritchey was booked into the Columbia County jail Friday morning.

A deputy was called to Ritchey’s home on Neptune Court to investigate a 911 call on the evening of June 25 involving an alleged domestic battery, according to the warrant. 

Ritchey’s wife told the deputy that her husband had punched her in the face, then forced her to sleep outside. The deputy said he saw visible injuries on her face, but she refused to be seen by emergency medical personnel.

Ritchey was found at a nearby Home Depot and arrested on a charge of simple battery.  

According to the warrant, Ritchey’s wife also told authorities her husband had child pornography on his cellphone, and he forced her to look at the material and explain what the child was doing in the pictures. 

The next day when Ritchey got out of jail and went to retrieve his cellphone, which was in property lockup, investigators questioned Ritchey about what was on the phone, and according to the warrant affidavit, he admitted that his phone contained child pornography. 

The warrant affidavit states that a partial analysis was conducted. It turned up 20 images of child porn, according to the affidavit.

An FDLE agent said there may likely be more photos discovered once the examination of the phone is complete. 


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