MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A jury has handed down a guilty verdict against a local man, convicting him on twenty separate felony charges related to the possession of child sexual abuse material.
On Friday, December 12, 45-year-old Michael Alton McMasters was found guilty of 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Following the verdict, Circuit Judge Willard Pope ordered McMasters to be taken into custody immediately. He will remain behind bars awaiting a sentencing hearing, which is scheduled to take place once a presentence investigation is finalized.
The criminal case against McMasters began in January 2024, triggered by an alert from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The organization sent a cyber tip to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office indicating that an online user had uploaded files containing apparent child sexual abuse material.
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Investigators traced the account activity to a property on Southwest 30th Terrace. When detectives arrived at the location, they found McMasters living in a camper trailer on the site.
According to the arrest report, detectives informed McMasters of the nature of the allegations. He reportedly denied any knowledge of the illegal uploads and refused to answer further questions. Authorities seized multiple electronic devices from the trailer as evidence.
A forensic examination conducted by an MCSO Digital Forensic Technician later recovered the files in question from the seized hardware, directly linking the material to the defendant.
Assistant State Attorneys Samantha Wahba and Drew Brandies prosecuted the case for the state.
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