SANFORD, Fla. – A Sanford man now faces 100 charges in a major child porn investigation, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Uthmeier held a news conference on Tuesday to announce the arrest of 37-year-old Blake McKinniss, whose home was searched last week by state investigators.
According to the FDLE, agents received over 70 cyber tips back in January about someone uploading child porn online and using A.I. to generate child porn images. Investigators said they traced this back to McKinniss, kicking off an investigation.
During last week’s raid, detectives came across several files on McKinniss’ devices that depicted child porn, Uthmeier added. But that wasn’t all.
[Watch the full news conference below]
“Additionally, investigators found that McKinniss had children’s bedrooms decorated, despite not being a parent,” a release from Uthmeier’s office reads. “In these bedrooms, law enforcement found massive amounts of sexual paraphernalia, including child-like sex dolls, as well as children’s toys and clothing.”
Detectives said that the sex doll was “anatomically correct,” and children’s underwear was discovered inside.
As a result of the search, McKinniss was taken into custody and now faces the following charges:
- 53 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material
- 46 counts of possession of A.I.-generated child pornography
- One count of possession of a child-like sex doll
“Law enforcement and prosecutors walked into a house of horrors upon executing this search warrant,” Uthmeier said. “This guy could spend the rest of his life in prison, and I’m grateful our team worked to ensure he never has access to our kids. I also thank Rep. Plakon for supporting legislation to keep convicted predators away from children.”
McKinniss is held in the Seminole County Jail on a $350,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 1,026 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, the release shows.
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Meanwhile, Uthmeier also called out state Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) for being one of the few lawmakers who voted against SB 212, a bill that cracks down on sex offenders by prohibiting them from living near public swimming pools.
Current law already prohibits these sorts of sex offenders from living near schools, childcare facilities, parks and playgrounds, though this bill cracks down even harder with more rules.
"I don’t know who in their right mind would vote against restrictions on child predators, against restrictions on an individual like this guy today that lived in this house of horrors, a house decorated in the theme of little kids that he wanted to abuse," he said.
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In response, Eskamani claimed she voted against the bill because the bill raised “serious concerns about effectiveness, fairness, and unintended consequences.”
“Public safety policies should be evidence-based and focused on prevention, rehabilitation, and effective monitoring,” she told News 6. “Expanding blanket restrictions without clear evidence of improved outcomes risks creating unintended harms without making communities safer.”
Regardless, SB 212 was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers, and it is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. If signed, it’s set to take effect on July 1.