Middleburg man pleads guilty to child porn production
JACKSONVILLE – Acting United States Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow announced Oct. 10 that Andrew Ryan Leslie, 22, of Middleburg pleaded guilty to two federal charges that he sexually abused an infant and a toddler, and used them to produce images and videos of child pornography.
Leslie faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 60 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Leslie has been in federal custody since his arrest on October 18, 2016.
According to court documents, in 2015, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations began an investigation into websites known to host images and videos depicting child pornography. In 2016, Leslie was positively identified as a member of one of these websites. On October 18, 2016, HSI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Leslie’s residence in Middleburg.
When they entered Leslie’s residence, Leslie emerged from the master bedroom where he said a toddler had been in bed with him when agents arrived.
During the search, agents located a digital camera next to Leslie’s bed in the master bedroom. Within the camera was a micro SD card containing a series of pornographic images depicting Leslie with two different minor children. In several of the images, the same toddler – approximately two years old – was depicted. Other images depicted a different infant less than a year old. These images depicted Leslie sexually abusing both children.
Agents also seized several laptop computers, computer hard disk drives, tablets, cell phones and cameras from Leslie’s residence. A forensic analysis of these items revealed that Leslie had produced, received, distributed and possessed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Recovered logs of online conversations between Leslie and other individuals showed that Leslie had discussed engaging in sexual activity with several minor children.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

19-year-old gets child abuse charge
MIDDLEBURG – Authorities arrested a Middleburg man for allegedly throwing a high school student from the bed of a truck and punching him in the stomach.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wyatt Wayne Connell, 19, at his residence on Oct. 6 29 after he was found to have assaulted a 16-year-old boy on Sept. 29.
According to the police report, the victim was sitting in the bed of a truck with some friends at a bonfire when Connell approached the truck and pulled him over the side onto the ground. After the victim stood up Connell punched him in the stomach. The confrontation resulted in a bruised right eye, a concussion and bruising on the torso of the victim.
Connell was transported to Clay County Jail following his arrest and faces a felony charge for child abuse without great bodily harm. He has since been released on bond.

Child abuse charge for parent
MIDDLEBURG – A Middleburg man was arrested Oct. 4 after allegedly assaulting his wife and a child at his home.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jacob Ryan Ambroz, 34, after receiving a call from his wife following an assault on her and her daughter.
According to the police report, Ambroz’s wife noticed he was texting another woman, and looked at his phone to determine what was going on. Ambroz, who had abused his prescription medication, taking an entire month’s supply within a day of picking it up, saw what she had done and attempted to take the phone back from his wife.
When he couldn’t get the phone, police said, he put his wife in a loose chokehold twice but she managed to escape both times. She called out for her daughter who then stood between the two to attempt to stop the fight. Ambroz pulled the girl’s hair to move her out of the way.
The victim ran outside and Ambroz followed, but couldn’t keep up, and she eventually made her way back inside and locked the door. Ambroz broke the front window but still couldn’t get inside, and then made his way in through a sliding door. The wife and child managed to escape to a neighbor’s house and call the police who responded and arrested Ambroz at the scene.
Following his arrest Ambroz was transported to the Clay County Jail where he faces a felony for child abuse without great bodily harm and a misdemeanor for domestic battery. Ambroz was released on bond.

Informant drug sale ends in arrest
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Jacksonville woman was arrested in Duval County and transported to the Clay County Jail Oct. 4 on an active warrant for her arrest.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office booked Jessica Marie David, 33, on two warrants that had been issued in Clay County for allegedly selling cocaine and heroin to a confidential informant on two separate occasions.
According to the police report, David sold cocaine and heroin to an informant working for the Sheriff’s Office on two separate occasions along Wells Road, once on April 27 and again on June 1. David was arrested in Duval County after she was found to have the warrants, booked into Duval County Jail and later transferred back to Clay County Jail where she remains.
David faces four felonies, two for heroin distribution and two for cocaine distribution. She is being held on about $100,000 bond and is set to appear in court on Nov. 1.

One person rescued from house fire
MIDDLEBURG – Clay A late morning structure fire, at 2425 Jasmine Avenue in Middleburg Florida, was called in via 911 at 1111 a.m. Initial reports from neighbors were that the home was on fire and the caller advised someone could be heard calling for help.
Crews arrived and rescued one person from the home which was transported to the hospital with burns that were considered non-life threatening injuries. The crews also rescued a dog and two cats unfortunately one cat did not survive.
Multiple units responded from Middleburg, Oak Leaf, Clay Hill and Kingsley Lake and the first unit arrived in (7) minutes from the initial 911 call. Initial crews reported heavy fire conditions and found the occupant in the living room.
The home sustained major damage from the fire and fire crews did not find a working smoke detector. The owner states three adults live in the home and the Red Cross was contacted for assistance.
The fire is under the investigation of the Florida State Fire Marshalls Office and is believed to be incendiary

Child pornography producer sentenced to 30 years in federal prison
JACKSONVILLE – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Wilfrido C. Baldera, 39, Jacksonville, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, for producing child pornography.
Baldera pleaded guilty on September 5, 2017.
According to court documents, in March 2016, detectives from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office began investigating possible child exploitation offenses after they found tha the Internet Protocol (“IP”) address at Baldera’s residence had been a prolific sharer of child pornography. On March 5, 2016, a detective connected to Baldera’s computer via a file-sharing program and discovered that he was hosting more than 4,600 files of suspected child pornography.
On November 2, 2016, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, working with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at Baldera’s residence. During an interview, Baldera acknowledged viewing child pornography on his computer and downloading movies. He also acknowledged going to Walmart to look at girls between the ages of 8 and 16 who “put it out there” for sexual arousal before going home to his wife. He described it as being better than going to a strip club.
A forensic review of the electronic devices seized from Baldera’s residence revealed a video and photographs that Baldera had produced depicting the rape of a 10-year-old girl. Extracted embedded data from the video shows that it had been created on June 29, 2015, in Clearwater Beach. Baldera was vacationing with his family and the victim in Tampa and Clearwater during this timeframe.
"This predator thought he could hide behind online technology and harm children," said Special Agent in Charge of Tampa HSI James C. Spero. "Our HSI special agents worked hard with our local law enforcement partners to ensure he will be held accountable for his crimes."
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the St. John’s Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.