State Attorney Bill Eddins announced that on November 21, 2019 Chad Thomas Carriles, age 33 of Navarre, Florida, was adjudicated guilty of twenty-four counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Carriles entered a plea to the charges on July 12, 2019. A sentencing hearing was held on November 21, 2019 by Judge Scott Duncan. Immediately following the hearing, Judge Duncan adjudicated Carriles guilty of the charges and sentenced him to nine years state prison followed by five years sex offender probation. Carriles was also designated as a sexual offender.
Carriles was charged with the offenses as a result of an investigation conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The investigation began after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Cyber Crime Unit in Pensacola received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On March 1, 2018, a search warrant was executed at Carriles’ residence in Navarre, Florida. During a search of the residence, images of child pornography were located on an electronic device. Multiple electronic devices were seized and subsequent analysis of those devices resulted in the discovery of additional images and videos of child pornography. At the time of his arrest, Carriles was an active duty member of the United State Coast Guard.
The investigation was conducted by Special Agent Vanessa Carmona of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Stephanie G. Pace. For further information, please contact Ms. Pace at 850-983-4453.
