Former Church Employee Arrested On Child Porn Charges
Investigators Shocked By Amount Found
POSTED: Friday, December 26, 2008
UPDATED: 8:27 am EST December 28,
2008
Federal investigators arrested a former church employee on child pornography charges after an eight-month investigation.
Joe Price, 36, a married father of two, is accused of possessing thousands of images and video clips of children engaging in sexual activity.
Volusia County deputies said they seized Price's computer from his Deltona home in May. On it, they discovered roughly 6,000 images and 250 video clips which he is accused of sharing with people across the country.
Investigators said the sheer amount of files made this case one of the worst they have seen.
Deputies said Price was a youth pastor at the New Tribes Mission Church, which has a branch in Sanford.
The church is part of a global organization that sends people all over the world to spread the word of God.
A church spokesperson said Price was only a maintenance man at a mission site in Venezuela and that he did not work with kids.
Price's neighbors said they are disgusted by the allegations.
"That's scary," said Cassandra Shannon. "To find that someone who has dedicated their life to the Lord can do something like that."
Price was arrested at an Osteen home, and he allegedly admitted to investigators that he is "obsessed" with child pornography.
Gary Davisson, with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, said he believes Price was trying to be caught.
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