POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 40-year-old Boynton Beach man is in custody today after Polk County detectives uncovered a series of graphic videos documenting the repeated sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child. Gary Lenard Wells, who had been treated as a member of the victim’s family for five years, now faces a long list of felony charges that could keep him behind bars for life.
“This is an evil, evil man,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Our goal…is to ensure that he never breathes another breath of air outside of prison.”
The investigation began on March 16, 2026, when a relative of the child discovered a video on Wells’ phone showing him engaged in a sexual act with the victim.
When the relative confronted him, Wells reportedly snatched the phone and fled the scene. He was later tracked down and arrested by West Palm Beach police on a Polk County warrant the following day.
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Once investigators secured the phone, a forensic download revealed the true scale of the abuse. Detectives found 15 separate videos showing sexual acts involving the victim.
During a forensic interview, the child told authorities that Wells had initiated intercourse four times since December 2025, claiming he recorded the acts because he wanted to “remember” the moments.
“Gary Wells is now where he belongs—locked up, and unable to harm any other children,” said Judd.
Wells is currently held at the Polk County Jail on four counts of custodial sexual battery of a victim under 12, 15 counts of directing sexual performance by a child, 15 counts of possession of child pornography, and battery of a child through expelling fluids.
His prior criminal record includes charges for battery by strangulation and aggravated battery. Additional video of Sheriff Judd discussing the details of the case has been made available on the PCSO YouTube channel.
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