UPDATE: Re-Arrest Of Child Porn Defendant Arrested In Operation Cyber Guardian

Date Added: June 26, 2020 10:18 am

Update: 6/26/2020: One of the defendants arrested in this previous child porn operation, 62-year-old Scott Stewart (DOB 11/14/1957), of Tracy Drive in Port Orange, was arrested again yesterday on a bond revocation after a follow-up investigation.

On Wednesday, it was learned Scott Stewart was recently contacted by New Smyrna Beach police officers in very close proximity to an off-beach parking area and beach access ramp where children were present. The location was Grayce K. Barck North Beach Community Park. During his contact with police, Scott Stewart was naked, only wearing a ball cap and a towel over his lap, with no other clothing. He claimed he was looking for his cat in the area. However, a witness reported seeing Stewart in the area on multiple occasions, appearing to watch children in bathing suits. Stewart’s pre-trial release conditions included no contact with any children.

The Sheriff’s Office and New Smyrna Beach PD coordinated with the State Attorney’s Office, and yesterday a judge signed an order to revoke Stewart’s bond.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office East Side Crime Suppression Team with the assistance of the Child Exploitation/Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested Stewart yesterday afternoon while he was mowing his lawn. He was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he remains held with no bond.

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April 3, 2020

VSO  CHILD PORN OPERATION NETS 7 ARRESTS
Operation “Cyber Guardian” Targets Possessing, Distributing Child Porn

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Unit (ICAC) concluded its four-month “Operation Cyber Guardian” today, resulting in the arrests of seven local men found to be possessing and distributing child pornography. More arrests are expected.

We began this aggressive campaign Jan. 1, 2020, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to identify, locate and apprehend local subjects who use social media to promote and distribute child pornography online.  This has become increasingly important now, especially with schools closed and many children online.

Our detectives will continue to make it a top priority to monitor social media to help provide a safer environment for our children.

During this investigation, our detectives executed eight residential search warrants, resulting in seven arrests. Additional arrests are pending the results of digital forensics.

The defendants arrested, ranging from 20 to 62 years old, are each charged with possession of sexual performance of a child. The individuals were in possession of electronic images or videos of children depicted in sexually explicit situations. All but two of these men remain in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail:

-- Scott Stewart, 62 (DOB 11/14/1957), arrested 1/9/20. Charges: 21 counts.  Bail: $315,000

-- Michael Booth, 61 (DOB 02/14/1959), arrested 2/14/20. Charges: 20 counts.  Bail: released on $50,000 bond

-- Austin Engelkens, 21 (DOB 7/14/1998), arrested 3/25/20. Charges: 10 counts.  Bail: $100,000

-- John Walker, 38 (DOB 09/11/1981), arrested 3/25/20. Charges: 11 counts.  Bail: $110,000

-- Adam Chancery, 20 (DOB 12/21/1999), arrested 3/25/20. Charges: 30 counts.  Bail: $150,000

-- Michael Castano, 31 (DOB 11/07/1988) arrested 3/31/20. Charges: 40 counts.  Bail: released on $80,000 bond

-- Joshua Burgess, 36 (W/M 11/07/1983), arrested 4/2/20. Charges: 10 counts.  **More charges expected following the results of forensic analysis.  Bail: $100,000

Anyone with information about subjects in possession of child pornography or attempting to solicit a child online is urged to contact our Child Exploitation Unit at (386) 323-3574.

To find out about sexual offenders living in your area, go to https://offender.flcjn.net/offendercjnet/sops/home.jsf .

Parents, we urge you to be aware of your kids’ online habits as we work together to protect them from sexual predators. Here are a few tips to help you keep your children safe online:

1.           Be aware and involved. It’s important to be direct when teaching kids how to use the Internet safely and responsibly. You need to explain exactly what is and isn’t OK.

2.           Do your homework. Ask your children what they want to do online, and then check out those websites, investigate ratings (see Commonsense Media for ratings and reviews), and explore parental-control features. YouTube has a safety page, for example, that details issues all parents should be familiar with, such as privacy, hate content, and cyberbullying.

3.           Talk to your children.  Ask your children questions about what they are looking at online and who their friends are. From time to time, sit with your children when they are online to get a sense of what they are doing.

4.           Report suspicious activity. Let your Internet service provider or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678) know immediately. Tell your child to let you know if something inappropriate happens online.