TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Tallahassee man who was released on bond after being accused of uploading child pornography to social media has been arrested, this time accused of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
Ryan Isbell, 31, has been charged with three additional counts of transmission of child pornography and one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The charges stem from a previous case involving a child pornography investigation that started back in early September.
According to probable cause documents, the Tallahassee Police Department received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about someone who had uploaded "child sexual abuse material" to two different social media accounts, including one on Snapchat, in July.
Evidence revealed the upload had come from a Tallahassee home on West Pensacola Street and, later on, police obtained a warrant to search the home.
During that search on Sept. 2, documents said Isbell's computer was seized and he was arrested of five counts of transmission of child pornography and five counts of possession of child pornography.
Isbell was released from the Leon County Detention Facility the next day on a $5,000 bond, according to court documents.
He was ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children or places they congregate. Isbell was also ordered to stay off of Snapchat and other social media and was not permitted to have unsupervised use of the internet.
However, less than three weeks after his release, probable cause documents said TPD received another cybertip about someone uploading child pornography to Snapchat from the same home on West Pensacola Street.
"Based on this information, it was reasonable to believe Isbell continued to engage in the possession and transmission of [child pornography] following his arrest for the same activity," investigators wrote in the probable cause document.
Probable cause documents said that police found 71 files on Isbell's computer containing child pornography and noted that the he was also using a web browser visit "dark web sites," likely to download files.
Investigators wrote the computer also contained "multiple cartoon images and gif files" depicting violent abuse of children, including infants and toddlers.
On Thursday, TPD again obtained a warrant to search the home after probable cause was found to charge Isbell with 71 additional counts of possession child pornography.
Right before police went in to arrest Isbell, however, arrest documents said that a 17-year-old girl was seen going into the home. When officers spoke to her, she told them that she had met Isbell on a mobile app about a month ago.
"She advised this was the third time she had visited Isbell's home and on the second visit, they engaged in 'sex,'" investigators wrote in the arrest report.
After Isbell was arrested and informed of the new charges, documents said Isbell initially stated he wished to have an attorney present before talking.
But later on, he agreed to start talking and admitted to using Snapchat after being released from jail the first time though he denied uploading child pornography.
"Isbell admitted to the use of the app used to communicate with the female victim who was in his home," investigators wrote in the arrest document. "Isbell stated he believed she was 18 years old."
Tallahassee Police said on Monday that they believe the suspect was likely communicating with others using a mobile app to arrange meetings and believe there may be more victims.
"Be sure to monitor your child’s internet usage and educate yourself and your children about online activities that may put them at risk," TPD wrote in a release. "Be vigilant and report any criminal activity to police."
Based on the evidence, Isbell was charged with three additional counts of transmission of child pornography and one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
As of Nov. 6, Isbell is being held in the Leon County Detention Facility without bond.
TPD asks anyone with information to call 850-891-4200. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 850-891-TIPS.
