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Ex-Florida Child Welfare Spokesman Accused Of Child Porn

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Biagomala
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

A former spokesman for Florida's child welfare agency is accused of child pornography.

A Gainesville police arrest report says 67-year-old Thomas William Barnes was arrested last week. On Monday, he was charged with 10 additional child porn charges.

The Gainesville Sun reports the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a report in August that a Yahoo user later identified as Barners sent a graphic photo of a man and a girl. Police got a search warrant and searched his computer. They found multiple folders of child porn hidden in subfolders. One, titled "too much" held at least 55 images.

The report said some pictures were of sexual intercourse with children as young as 6.

Barnes remains in jail on a $900,000 bond. Records don't list a lawyer.