A Florida teenager is facing juvenile charges after investigators say he discussed carrying out a mass shooting in an online extremist chatroom—an inquiry that led deputies to search his home and discover child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a Facebook video briefing that the teen was arrested on Jan. 31 after authorities received a tip alleging he had access to weapons and was making threats of violence.
According to Chronister, the teen was active in a chatroom tied to violent extremism and talked about shooting up a nearby church, though he did not identify a specific location. Investigators also linked the home to an active child exploitation investigation connected to the same IP address, Chronister said.
Detectives later executed a search warrant at the residence and recovered multiple firearms and ammunition, along with electronic devices that investigators say contained child sex abuse material, Chronister said during the briefing. He added that while most of the weapons were stored in a safe, one firearm was found in the father’s nightstand—where, Chronister said, the teen “easily could have had access to.”
Chronister said investigators found 14 images he described as “extremely graphic” and “disturbing,” alleging they depicted violence toward infants and toddlers. He told reporters the content was “too graphic and too disturbing to discuss,” saying it “would keep all of you up at night.”
Authorities also tied the teen to what Chronister called a “neo-Nazi Satanic group” known as Temple of Love, which he said promotes violence as a form of spiritual enlightenment. During questioning, Chronister said, the teen appeared unfazed and told deputies he was “trying to be edgy.”
“The age of the individual involved does not lessen the seriousness of these crimes,” Chronister said. “Threats of mass violence and the exploitation of children demand immediate action, and we will always move swiftly to protect lives and hold those responsible accountable.”
The teen has been charged as a juvenile with written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, in-state transmission of child pornography by electronic device, 14 counts of solicitation or possession of child pornography involving 10 or more images, and two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, according to the briefing.
Chronister said more charges could follow as forensic examinations of the teen’s devices continue. The State Attorney’s Office will decide whether the teen will ultimately be charged as an adult.
