Marion school officials alert parents of child porn arrest

Man had homemade videos of sex abuse, child porn, cops say

SILVER SPRINGS, Fla. – Marion County school officials are sending out alerts on Wednesday to parents of children near the home where deputies found homemade videos depicting sexual abuse and voyeurism, prompting the resident's arrest.

Robert Earle Toole, 50, was charged on Tuesday with 20 counts of possession of child pornography, one count possession of marijuana and one count possession of drug paraphernalia.

School officials said they were contacting parents of children that use two bus stops near Toole's home on the 3400 block of NE 56th Avenue in an effort to find Toole's possible victims.

Toole's arrest was part of an internet sting operation and deputies said they talked to Toole online as part of their investigation.

"He's been very forthcoming with any kind of information as far as the investigation. But as far as victims, he's been very quiet about that. So, we're hoping that maybe as this investigation goes along, he may be more forthcoming," said Lauren Lettelier, of the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

According to deputies, Toole showed detectives a collection of child porn on hard drives at his home that he said took him years to gather.

Deputies said they also found videos and pictures of sexual abuse and voyeurism that appeared to be homemade. When questioned, Toole told deputies that he made the videos himself.

Toole is being held in the Marion County Jail on $402,000 bond. 

MCSO said they are widening the investigation to areas where Toole lived before moving to Silver Springs.

"We're trying to bring justice to the victims, that's our main goal," said Lettelier.

If you have any information on Toole's possible victims, call Sgt. Michael Dodd at 352-369-3535 or Marion County Crime Stoppers at 352-368-STOP.

Check back with ClickOrlando.com and watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


About the Authors:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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