ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A former Jacksonville radio reporter was arrested on two counts of cruelty to children after St. Johns County investigators said they found images on his electronic devices showing a child being sexually abused.
According to the arrest warrant, detectives began investigating Adam Kirk, 37, in April after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That tip included an explicit image of a young naked girl performing a sex act on an adult man.
The IP address connected with image was traced to Kirk and the internet provider was able to provide his name, phone number and an email address to a radio station in Ohio.
Last week detectives armed with a warrant showed up Kirk’s St. Johns home and seized 22 electronic devices to undergo a forensic examination. On Tuesday, detectives learned one of the hard drives that was seized contained two explicit images of child porn. According to the warrant, a detective who reviewed the material said Kirk’s reflection in a bathroom mirror showed him taking pictures of the victim.
“No matter how he tries to dispute it, it’s hard to dispute it’s actually him taking a picture of this particular child victim,” said News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson.
Detectives also located several other images of the same child being sexually abused.
Based on the evidence found on the hard drive, detectives arrested Kirk, who is being held on $200,000 bond.
According to Kirk’s Facebook page, he had been a reporter and producer in Jacksonville.