A 50-year-old Kissimmee man is behind bars after a cyber crimes investigation allegedly led detectives to a stash of child pornography and bestiality-related materials.
On Thursday, detectives with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit executed a search warrant at a home located in the Whispering Oaks neighborhood of Kissimmee.
According to OCSO, the agency’s investigation began after they were notified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an individual, later identified as Steven Joseph Nickles, who was allegedly in possession of child sexual abuse material.
During the search of the home, detectives reportedly found numerous files belonging to Nickles that depicted the sexual abuse of children, as well as additional files containing bestiality.
Nickles was placed under arrest and booked into Osceola County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond. He is being charged with 16 counts of possession of child pornography, 14 counts of possession of an image or video of an animal sex act, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
“This investigation is ongoing and there is no evidence that Mr. Nickles has met any minors in person,” said OCSO in a media release.