FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 19, 2026

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested William Leroy Johnson Jr., 56, of Okeechobee, on 15 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The arrest is part of FDLE’s statewide initiative to locate and arrest criminals targeting children and sharing files depicting child sexual abuse.

FDLE’s investigation began Jan. 20 after agents received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a visual search was conducted using images depicting child sexual abuse. A visual search is a service provided by search engines that returns similar images to one provided by the user.

The cybertip was initially submitted to the Okeechobee Police Department, but when investigators identified the IP address as belonging to a user in Glades County, the case was reassigned to FDLE through the Internet Crimes Against Children South Florida Task Force. Further investigation revealed Johnson as one of the users of the identified IP address.

On Feb. 4, agents conducted a search warrant at Johnson’s residence and seized a computer for digital forensic analysis. The analysis identified hundreds of digital files containing child sexual abuse material and child erotica.

On Feb. 17, FDLE and the Glades County Sheriff’s Office arrested Johnson pursuant to an FDLE warrant. He was transported to the Glades County Jail.

The Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is prosecuting the case.

The investigation remains active.

For Further Information Contact:

FDLE Office of Public Information

Info@fdle.state.fl.us