Venice Man Arrested For Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Material

SARASOTA, Fla. (CW44 News At 10)-- Venica man arrested Monday by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office for possession of child sexual abuse material.

Detectives received a tip in September from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) after four videos and two images depicting child pornography were uploaded to Snapchat. Through investigation, detectives utilized the IP address used to upload the images, to identify Bengt Francke, 31, as the suspect.

A search by detectives of his computer and cell phone yielded more than 50 explicit images and videos with victims ranging in age from 3 to 14 years old. Through investigation, detectives learned Francke obtained the images and video files from a Snapchat group and later distributed them to other people through the same mobile application.

Francke, of 591 Clubside Circle, is charged with 50 counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and a single count of Transmission of Child Sexual Abuse Material by Electronic Device. He remains in custody today without bond while the investigation continues.