Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Brent Wells of Oxford on 14 counts for allegedly possessing child and animal sexual abuse materials on his Snapchat account this week.
“Trading in this offensive and disgusting material revictimizes the children who were forced to participate in its production and exploits helpless animals who are unable to speak for themselves,” Uthmeier said in a release. “We have zero tolerance for this depraved behavior in Florida. Our prosecutors will ensure that this predator spends a very long time behind bars.”
According to the attorney general's office, an investigation led by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into Wells began on Dec. 3 following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding sexual abuse materials allegedly being uploaded to the 35-year-old's Snapchat account.
He was arrested two days later. A search warrant of Wells' phone also uncovered additional files allegedly depicting the sexual abuse of children and animals.
Wells was charged with 12 counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials and 2 counts of possession of animal sexual abuse materials. He faces up to 70 years in prison if found guilty.
The investigation into Wells is still ongoing, and additional charges could be filed. Special Counsel Rita Peters in the Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida will be in charge of the case moving forward.
Uthmeier's latest arrest follows another child predator bust earlier this week. The attorney general also assisted in a large operation involving criminal illegal aliens, many of whom were registered sex offenders, last month.
In addition, Uthmeier announced charges against several individuals connected to an international child pornography ring in April. He is also looking into a popular gaming app for allegedly misleading parents about the safety of its platform in protecting minors from child predators.
Uthmeier has made protecting Florida's children a priority of his tenure. Expect that to continue into 2026.
