Bay Attorney Arrested on Child Porn Charges

A Bay County attorney, arrested on more than 200 counts of producing, possessing and promoting child pornography, faces life in prison if convicted on all charges.

Paul Richard Parker Jr., 42, currently being held at the Bay County Jail, is charged with:

• Nine counts of using a child in the production of child pornography (second-degree felony)
• Two counts of promoting child pornography (second-degree felony)
• Two counts of transmitting child pornography (third-degree felony)
• 233 counts of possession of child pornography (third-degree felony)

The Florida Attorney General Office of Statewide Prosecution and the 14th Circuit State Attorney’s Office will jointly prosecute the case.

According to a news release from the AG office, Parker placed pornographic videos on the Internet where they were discovered by a CyberCrime investigator during an undercover online investigation, and were later traced back to Parker.

Search warrants executed at Parker’s Panama City residence uncovered hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his computer and other equipment. Investigators also believe that Parker created child pornography by enticing young boys over the Internet to perform sexual acts via Web cam, reports said. Parker would then record these acts and make pornographic videos from them.

He was arrested by officers with the Child Predator CyberCrime Unit and the Bay County Sheriff's Office. Parker specializes in personal injury law.

"Child pornography is horrific sexual exploitation of real children, who are real victims," said Attorney General Charlie Crist. “We will continue to shut these perverted operations down."