A Sanford man has been arrested and charged with 100 counts of possessing real and virtual child pornography, which investigators say was generated by Artificial Intelligence. “This depraved individual that was probably just days away or moments away from trying to access real children,” speculated republican Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier during a late morning news conference in Orlando, Tuesday. Flanked by Sanford police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, and prosecutors who worked the case, Uthmeier detailed some of the evidence against 37-year-old Blake McKinniss. The community in which he lives is just across the street from an elementary school and a public park. McKinniss graduated from the University of Central Florida, had a successful career as a digital analyst at a central Florida company, and owned a home in a gated community. But when police stepped inside to make the arrest, they say they found an entirely different world. Uthmeier said, “They entered into a house of horrors where this individual had decorated with little girls’ underwear, toys, a room dedicated for a little girl, and ultimately found thousands of files of both actual child pornography as well as AI child pornography.” In a photo, provided by the attorney general’s office, one of the bedrooms is shown to be decorated for a little girl. They said another room was decorated for a little boy, and the master bedroom was similarly decorated, with assistant statewide prosecutor Lauren Day adding, “Pink walls, pink curtains, my little pony posters, pink bedding, doll toys, princess wands, plastic feathers, tiaras, and unicorn stuffies.” McKinniss is not married, has no children, and lives alone. Uthmeier said the look of the home made them suspect McKinniss was preparing to try and lure children to his house. WESH 2 Investigates obtained video of McKinniss’ first appearance in front of a judge on March 10, in which he asked the judge if he could have his phone to get his contact numbers from it to call people, including his mother. The Sanford Police Department Deputy Chief, Trekelle Perkins, added, “I appreciate the efforts of the men and women who played a role in bringing this individual to justice. He can no longer harm any individual in our community.” Uthmeier says McKinniss’s arrest marks more than 1,400 child predators that have been arrested since he was appointed to the job by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Uthmeier is running in this year’s elections to win a four-year term. A portion of the news conference took a political turn when Uthmeier referenced a bill a Republican local lawmaker, Rachel Plakon, sponsored to further restrict where sex offenders can live. HB 45 was similar to SB 212, which was passed by both the House and Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk. Plakon said during Tuesday’s news conference, “We are passing laws to keep predators away from our children at pools, parks and schools.” Uthmeier criticized local democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani for voting against the Bill, adding, “I don’t know who in their right mind would vote against restrictions on child predators. So shame on her for taking that position.” Eskamani tells WESH 2 News she voted against the measure based on republicans’ own Bill analysis, which said the “homeless number will likely increase if this bill takes effect.” Eskamani added, “It does nothing to actually make communities more safe. And it will lead to more homeless offenders living on our streets.” In the case against McKinniss, he’s being held without bond and will be due for arraignment in court in Seminole County next month.
A Sanford man has been arrested and charged with 100 counts of possessing real and virtual child pornography, which investigators say was generated by Artificial Intelligence.
“This depraved individual that was probably just days away or moments away from trying to access real children,” speculated republican Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier during a late morning news conference in Orlando, Tuesday.
Flanked by Sanford police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents, and prosecutors who worked the case, Uthmeier detailed some of the evidence against 37-year-old Blake McKinniss. The community in which he lives is just across the street from an elementary school and a public park.
McKinniss graduated from the University of Central Florida, had a successful career as a digital analyst at a central Florida company, and owned a home in a gated community. But when police stepped inside to make the arrest, they say they found an entirely different world.
Uthmeier said, “They entered into a house of horrors where this individual had decorated with little girls’ underwear, toys, a room dedicated for a little girl, and ultimately found thousands of files of both actual child pornography as well as AI child pornography.”
In a photo, provided by the attorney general’s office, one of the bedrooms is shown to be decorated for a little girl. They said another room was decorated for a little boy, and the master bedroom was similarly decorated, with assistant statewide prosecutor Lauren Day adding, “Pink walls, pink curtains, my little pony posters, pink bedding, doll toys, princess wands, plastic feathers, tiaras, and unicorn stuffies.”
McKinniss is not married, has no children, and lives alone. Uthmeier said the look of the home made them suspect McKinniss was preparing to try and lure children to his house.
WESH 2 Investigates obtained video of McKinniss’ first appearance in front of a judge on March 10, in which he asked the judge if he could have his phone to get his contact numbers from it to call people, including his mother.
The Sanford Police Department Deputy Chief, Trekelle Perkins, added, “I appreciate the efforts of the men and women who played a role in bringing this individual to justice. He can no longer harm any individual in our community.”
Uthmeier says McKinniss’s arrest marks more than 1,400 child predators that have been arrested since he was appointed to the job by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Uthmeier is running in this year’s elections to win a four-year term.
A portion of the news conference took a political turn when Uthmeier referenced a bill a Republican local lawmaker, Rachel Plakon, sponsored to further restrict where sex offenders can live.
HB 45 was similar to SB 212, which was passed by both the House and Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk.
Plakon said during Tuesday’s news conference, “We are passing laws to keep predators away from our children at pools, parks and schools.”
Uthmeier criticized local democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani for voting against the Bill, adding, “I don’t know who in their right mind would vote against restrictions on child predators. So shame on her for taking that position.”
Eskamani tells WESH 2 News she voted against the measure based on republicans’ own Bill analysis, which said the “homeless [population] number will likely increase if this bill takes effect.” Eskamani added, “It does nothing to actually make communities more safe. And it will lead to more homeless offenders living on our streets.”
In the case against McKinniss, he’s being held without bond and will be due for arraignment in court in Seminole County next month.
