VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A man from DeLand, already detained on weapons charges, now faces extra allegations after authorities found over 42,000 files suspected to contain child sexual abuse material, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
Trent Prather was detained on weapons charges Thursday and is held without bond. After reviewing seized electronic devices, detectives found thousands of files believed to contain illegal images of children.
The sheriff’s office announced Prather faces 20 charges of possessing child sexual abuse material, with potential additional charges as the investigation persists.
According to investigators, many of the recovered images depicted young girls aged about 4 to 10.
Detectives found that Prather has a history of similar cases in Utah. Court records show he was arrested in 2011 with 10 charges of exploiting a minor related to child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to probation.
The sheriff’s office said Prather was re-investigated in Utah in 2018 after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children submitted a cyber tip about his illegal downloads. However, no criminal charges resulted.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised the work of the agency’s Child Exploitation Unit and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as the investigation continues.
“Our Child Exploitation Unit is doing everything in its power through this investigation to make sure this years-long pattern of behavior is over,” Chitwood said in a statement.
Authorities said Prather remains in custody as detectives continue reviewing evidence seized during the investigation.
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