Married Florida Couple Arrested For Child Pornography

LAKE WALES, FL -- A married Florida couple is facing child pornography charges after investigators discovered more than 40 sexually explicit images and videos of children between the ages of 2 to 12 on a cell phone.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jesse Butler and his 30-year-old wife, Katie, were taken into custody by Polk County Sheriff's deputies on Wednesday. A search of their home was conducted on Thursday.

Katie Butler has been charged with 40 counts of possessing, controlling or viewing child pornography; possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia.
Jesse Butler has been charged with possessing, controlling or viewing child pornography; transmission of child pornography via electronic device; possession of controlled substance and possession of paraphernalia.

"At this time, the identities of the children in the images is unknown," explained Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "Our detectives will continue their work to determine if there are any more images, and if any of the victims are local."

The sheriff's office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a video containing child pornography was uploaded and sent by Jesse Butler via Facebook Messenger to Katie Butler on Dec. 23.

"Detectives executed a search warrant at the couple's home Thursday. During an examination of their electronic devices, over 40 images and videos depicting child pornography were found on Katie's cell phone," the sheriff's office said. "The images and videos consisted of male and female children between the approximate ages of 2 and 12 years."

During the search, detectives also found drug paraphernalia and baggies containing methamphetamine residue throughout the residence, according to the sheriff's office.

"The couple had access to small children, but at this time in the investigation, there is no indication that any of those children were involved with the child pornography," the sheriff's office added. "The investigation is ongoing."