LEESBURG, Fla. — According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a man was arrested in Lake County on Wednesday on five charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.
Elmer Bautista, a 22-year-old from Leesburg, was arrested as part of FDLE’s statewide effort to identify and apprehend individuals who exploit children and distribute images of child sexual abuse.
He is being held without bond pending his first appearance.
In November 2024, the FDLE launched an investigation into Bautista after law enforcement got a tip regarding someone uploading digital files that showed the sexual abuse of children to a Snapchat account.
The investigation determined that Bautista is both the owner of the email address linked to the account and the account holder. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement obtained an arrest warrant and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office executed the arrest of Mr. Bautista.
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