A 61-year-old Lutz man is facing more than 1,000 criminal counts after Hillsborough County Sheriff's detectives say a court-authorized search of his home turned up over 1,000 files of child sexual abuse material, some depicting victims as young as 5. Charles Price was arrested Monday when the sheriff's office's Internet Predators Unit and SWAT team served the warrant at his residence in Lutz.
According to the Tampa Free Press, detectives tracked online activity to Price's Lutz home after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline flagged uploaded illicit material on July 27. The report also said the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's Internet Predators Unit worked alongside its SWAT team to execute the search warrant at Price's residence.
Investigators recovered an electronic device containing more than 1,000 files depicting victims ages 5 to 12, and the device was reportedly used to send and trade the material online, per investigators cited in the Tampa Free Press report. Price was booked on 1,000 counts of solicitation or possession of child sexual abuse material involving ten or more images, along with a charge of unlawful use of a two-way communications device and a charge of obstruction of the execution of a search warrant.
Why the Count Reaches Four Figures
The staggering number of charges stems from how Florida law treats digital evidence in these cases. Under Florida Statute § 827.071(5)(a), the state treats each distinct photograph, video, or digital file as an independent criminal offense, according to The Hoffman Firm, which allows prosecutors to file a separate charge for every image discovered rather than a single consolidated count.
That standard means possession of child sexual abuse material is generally charged as a third-degree felony in Florida, carrying up to five years in prison per count, though aggravated circumstances or especially severe depictions can push individual charges up to second-degree felonies punishable by up to 15 years each, per Dickstein Law. The two-way communications device charge Price faces is its own distinct third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 934.215, covering the use of a phone, computer, or electronic network to further a felony, and it carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Pumphrey Law.
The obstruction charge is a third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 933.15, according to the Florida Senate.
Sheriff Vows Continued Pursuit of Offenders
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the sheriff's office will do everything in its power to protect the most vulnerable members of the community. He said predators who seek to exploit children will be arrested, and that detectives will continue to pursue anyone who victimizes children.
The case fits a pattern of digital tip-driven enforcement that has become increasingly common. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received over 20.5 million CyberTipline reports of suspected child sexual abuse material and exploitation in 2024, functioning as the primary national clearinghouse that routes actionable leads to local agencies like Hillsborough's, according to MissingKids.org. The organization separately reported receiving over 50,000 reports of financial sextortion in 2025 alone, an average of 137 per day, and discussed the use of private messaging and encrypted platforms to exchange illicit content.
Part of a Broader Local Enforcement Push
Price's arrest involved Hillsborough County's Internet Predators Unit.
Lutz is an unincorporated suburban community roughly 15 miles north of Tampa, spanning both Hillsborough and Pasco counties, with an estimated 2026 population exceeding 28,000 residents and a median household income topping $120,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The community has also seen an arrest reported outside a Lutz Publix.
