Eglin Air Force Base employee charged with soliciting child sex, transmitting child porn

Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read
23

A 42-year-old Eglin Air Force Base employee was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation found he allegedly transmitted child sex abuse material using a messaging app.

Alexander Brian Freehardt is charged with promoting the sexual performance of a child, electronically transmitting child porn and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony after FDLE found he allegedly used the Kik messenger app to upload various videos of children performing sexually explicit acts.

Eglin Chief of Media Operations Ilka Cole confirmed to the News Journal that Freehardt is an Eglin civilian employee.

"On Jan. 2, 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received (a) Cyber Tipline Report ... in reference to the possession, manufacturing and distribution of child pornography from the Electronic Service Provider," the FDLE report states.

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The investigation found he allegedly uploaded six different videos using Kik on Dec. 9, 2021. The report also notes there is a video not containing pornography that shows "the apparent user of the account, (who) appears to be Alexander Freehardt."

FDLE interviewed Freehardt on Feb. 7 while special agents were enforcing a search warrant on his home. During the interview, Freehardt admitted to being the owner of the email used on the Kik account, but said he could not recall his username, per the report.

"Alexander Freehardt initially denied having sent image and video files depicting child pornography," the report states. "However, he later advised that he may have done so, but does not recall having done so."

Freehardt did acknowledge the video of himself that was uploaded.

Freehardt was booked into Santa Rosa County Jail Tuesday and released Wednesday on $55,000 bond. He is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 23, according to court records.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Eglin employee Alexander Freehardt facing child pornography charges