Sebring man charged with 300 counts of possession of child pornography

Son still in jail after being arrested for similar charges in March

SEBRING -- A 72-year-old Sebring man is in the Highlands County Jail after being arrested and charged with 300 counts of possession of child pornography. His son is still in jail after being arrested in March for similar charges.

Ronald William WellsRonald William Wells was booked Wednesday, August 19, after an investigation that began in January discovered 300 images of child pornography on a laptop computer taken from his home on Iris Avenue.

On January 6, the Special Victims Unit was forwarded a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an uploaded file contained child pornography. After search warrants were issued to the internet provider, the investigation revealed that the image had been uploaded from the Iris Avenue home.

A search warrant was executed in March, and Ronald Wells’ son, 43-year-old David William Wells, was arrested that day and charged with 14 counts of possession of child pornography. The next day, an additional 49 counts of possession of child pornography were filed against David Wells.

David William WellsDuring the search, detectives located a laptop belonging to Ronald Wells. The laptop was seized during the search, and forensic inspection of the device discovered 300 child pornography images, as well as a search history filled with specific child pornography terms.

The elder Wells’ bond has yet to be set.

Note: Not all arrests result in convictions. Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.