For Immediate Release
August 20, 2021
 
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – FDLE and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office today arrested Neal Balwinski, 52, of Tavares on five counts of transmission of child sexual abuse material. 
 
The investigation began in April, when FDLE received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding an internet user sharing child sexual abuse material. A search warrant led to the discovery of multiple images of child sexual abuse material, some featuring children as young as four years old, on electronic devices seized from Balwinski’s residence. 
 
Agents discovered that Balwinski, who worked for the Marion County Fire Rescue Department at the time of his arrest, had accessed the material from his home internet, his cell phone and his employer’s internet.
 
Balwinski was booked into the Lake County Jail on no bond.  Additional charges are dependent upon completion of forensics exams. This case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office, 5^th Judicial Circuit. 
 
Please visit the FDLE website to review tips for keeping your children safe online at:
https://www.secureflorida.org/SF/Family-Safety/BPParents.
 
For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001