Child Porn Found On Firefighter's Computer: Sarasota Police

Updated: 11:50 a.m., Monday

SARASOTA, FL — A firefighter in Manatee County was arrested Oct. 24 after child pornography was found on his computer, Sarasota County court records show.

Benjamin Dillon, 54, of Sarasota was charged with one count of child porn possession.

He was a firefighter with West Manatee Fire and Rescue and was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at a fire station at 10350 Cortez Road in Bradenton.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent a cyber tip about suspected child pornography uploaded by Dillon to the Sarasota Police Department, a probable cause affidavit said.

Deputies assigned to the case confirmed that at least one of the three videos referenced in the tip was child pornography. The other two files were videos of young women but they couldn’t determine their age, which they said could be anywhere from 14 to 19 years old.

Investigators also found videos of Dillon masturbating both at home and at the fire station on his computer, according to the affidavit.

His search history also included terms associated with child pornography and questions about the age of consent in other countries, police said.