Stevie Lee Branch Jr. was identified by law enforcement after numerous CyberTipline reports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man who first arrived on authorities’ radar in July 2023 is now in custody on possession of child pornography charges, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Stevie Branch Jr., 42, was arrested on 13 counts of possessing child pornography. Branch was arrested Sunday at an Alton Avenue home, police said.
An arrest report said between July 2023 and February 2024, there were 38 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline reports, from Google and Synchronoss involving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), eventually identifying Branch as the suspect. The CyberTipline reports were created due to uploaded images of suspected CSAM occurring between Jan. 6-20, totaling over 170 images and/or videos.
On Feb. 22, 2024, authorities seized Branch’s cell phone and two USB thumb drives, where officers later found 13 CSAM files on Branch’s thumb drive and 27 CSAM files on Branch’s cell phone. Branch was detained and interviewed, though his comments in the report were redacted, the report said.
When looking over Branch’s cloud data, deputies observed approximately 228 pictures and videos of CSAM out of 598 files.
Officers were monitoring the Alton Avenue home and arrested Branch 11:30 a.m. Sunday when he was mowing the lawn. His bond was set at more than $650,000.
