Sheriff: 'Disturbing' finds on Brevard school assistant's phone lead to child porn charges

J.D. Gallop, Florida Today
Updated ·2 min read
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Brevard County Sheriff's Office patrol cars.

A 35-year-old special needs teaching assistant was arrested Tuesday after Brevard sheriff’s investigators found illicit images of babies in bondage and in other sexual poses on a cellphone belonging to the man.

James Anthony Cohen, of Melbourne, worked at Tropical Elementary School and KinderCare, a child daycare center on Merritt Island. Sheriff’s agents took Cohen into custody after a forensic audit of his electronic devices, including cellphones, laptops and cameras, uncovered at least 170 images depicting children and babies in various sexually illicit pictures and videos. Cohen was charged with 10 counts of possession of material depicting sexual conduct by a child, records show.

Brevard Public Schools placed Cohen on administrative leave last week as the case unfolded. The school district had no further comment on the case.

“This is a sick puppy,” Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey said of Cohen following a review of the material found on Cohen’s phone.

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Ivey described the findings as "disturbing" and "extremely disgusting," saying the images showed babies being bound and sexually assaulted.

“That’s the kind of video this person was literally enjoying watching,” Ivey said.

“People like him shouldn’t be allowed to walk among us,” Ivey said, adding that there was nothing immediately indicating that Cohen was producing the material. Cohen, who lived with his father, said he was the only one at the home engaged in watching the videos.

The investigation began in January after investigators with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office that an IP address in Melbourne had downloaded or viewed illegal material. Sheriff’s agents subpoenaed records from the internet provider, a process that was concluded months later on May 14, Ivey pointed out. Cohen was hired by the school district in 2022 after completing a background check and "prior to this, had no significant criminal history," Ivey said. "He only had a driving charge."

Cohen, booked into the Brevard County Jail Complex, was held on a no bond status. No trial date has been set.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida special needs teaching assistant charged with child porn