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OCALA, Fla. - A Marion County man has been arrested and charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography, authorities said.
William Omark Baylis, 71, of Ocala, was taken into custody on Feb. 12.
The backstory:
The arrest followed an Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation that began with a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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Detectives collected evidence through subpoenas, search warrants, and interviews, a process that can take weeks or months to complete.
William Omark Baylis, 71, of Ocala, has been arrested and charged with 20 counts of possession of child pornography.
"We are committed to protecting children and will never tolerate crimes against them. Anyone who harms or exploits children will be held fully accountable," the Ocala Police Department said in a statement.
What is the ICAC?
Dig deeper:
The ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) is a nationwide program in the United States that focuses on investigating, apprehending, and prosecuting individuals who exploit children online.
It’s a network of law enforcement agencies, often coordinated at the federal, state, and local levels, that works to combat crimes like online sexual exploitation of children (including child pornography), luring or grooming children for sexual purposes, distribution or possession of child sexual abuse material, and child sex trafficking via the internet.
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The program often works in partnership with organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to receive cyber tips and trace illegal activity. Such was the case that led to the arrest of Baylis,
ICAC investigations typically involve digital forensics, online monitoring, subpoenas, search warrants, and interviews to carefully gather evidence before making arrests.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Ocala Police Department, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ICAC Task Force Program.