A 74-year-old Florida man has been arrested on three counts of possessing images and videos depicting children in sexually explicit situations after sheriff’s detectives were alerted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Victor Manuel Blandin, 74, Deltona, was arrested and transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail today on a warrant following an eight-month investigation.
Sheriff’s detectives began investigating in late December based on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which alerts law enforcement agencies to possible sexual exploitation of children on the Internet.
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Detectives followed up on the tip by executing a search warrant at Blandin’s home, where they discovered even more files than were flagged in the original tip.
The children depicted in the material ranged in estimated age from 5 to 12 years old, according to investigators.
There were no indications of any local child victims. Blandin is charged with three counts of possessing sexual performance of a child.
He remains held at the jail on $30,000 bail pending a first appearance court hearing.
Anyone who has information about this case or similar cases is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office’s Child Exploitation Unit at (386) 323-3574.
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