Port St. Lucie Police Arrest Child Porn Suspect Following Standoff

In child pornography cases, the suspects are typically cooperative, even sometimes admitting to their crimes. In a recent arrest in Florida, though, a man barricaded himself inside his home, leading to a three-hour standoff with the SWAT team.

The incident happened on the evening of July 11 and was initiated by an arrest for similar charges in another state. Police in Indiana had arrested a person who was exchanging child porn images with someone in Port St. Lucie. The out-of-state law enforcement agency reached out to detectives in Florida, and that was when a SWAT team arrived at the man’s home in the 800 block of Watson Court with a search warrant.

The 35-year-old man made face-to-face contact with the SWAT team when they arrived. When the man saw them, that was when he decided to barricade himself inside the home. Crisis negotiators stepped in. They tried for three hours to get Valdez to surrender peacefully. However, the man would not cooperate.

The man refused to speak, but would knock on the door to respond to questions. Port St. Lucie police knew the man did not have a weapon. The man’s mother and sister left the home and helped police try to get him to surrender.

The SWAT team tried a couple tactics to force the man out. They used a robotic dog with a camera and another robot with a camera to see if they could find the man inside the home, but he was out of sight. They also used gas to try to flush him out.

After a three-hour standoff, the SWAT team was left with no choice but to enter the house. The man was found in the front bedroom, hiding under a mattress. He was taken into custody without incident. The man did not say anything to police upon his arrest.

After the arrest, detectives searched the man’s home. They looked through his phone and computer for child pornography.

Nobody was injured during the standoff and no nearby homes were evacuated. The man was booked into jail and faces 17 counts of possession of child pornography and possible other charges due to the standoff. His bond was set at more than $300,000.

The case is still under investigation, as police are fully investigating the images the man sent to the person in Indiana. It is believed that there could be local victims involved. Neighbors are shocked. They had no clue the man was involved in child porn.

Contact Us Today

Child porn charges are bad enough. Refusing to follow police orders and barricading yourself inside your home only makes matters worse and can lead to additional charges.

A Florida child pornography lawyer from the Law Offices of Gilbert A. Schaffnit can assist you. We are knowledgeable of the legal system and can help you get the best outcome possible. To schedule a consultation, call (352) 505-1799 or fill out the online form.

Source:

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