COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – A Columbia County man was sentenced to 176 years in prison on June 22 after a jury found him guilty on all counts in a child sexual abuse material case, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Steven Paul Shaffer, 55, was convicted May 22, of possession of child sexual abuse material and unlawful use of a two‑way communication device in an investigation that began in August 2023, the sheriff’s office said. Judge Mark Feagle imposed 15 years for each count of possession and 143 months for the unlawful‑use charge; the terms are to run consecutively.
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Detectives with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, developed a suspect after receiving a tip through the cybertip line, the sheriff’s office said. After executing multiple search warrants and examining devices, investigators recovered more than 10 images and videos of child sexual abuse material and obtained an arrest warrant for Shaffer.
Shaffer was arrested Dec. 5, 2024, and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on charges that the sheriff’s office described as third‑degree felonies. He was held without bond.
“The sentence sends an unequivocal message: those who exploit and endanger children will be found, prosecuted and held fully accountable under the law,” the CCSO said in the release, adding that it will continue working with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to identify offenders.
Protecting children from sexual exploitation is a priority for the sheriff’s office, the release said, and investigators said they will continue to dedicate resources to aggressively investigate and prosecute these crimes.