Crystal River man, age 19, arrested on 11 counts of possession of child pornography

Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO)

Citrus County, Florida - On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, 19 year-old Caleb Wayne Trantham of Crystal River, Florida was arrested by Detective Ben Wilson with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office High Tech Crimes Unit, charged with 11 counts of possession of child pornography.

After receiving a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), Detective Wilson began a lengthy investigation into suspected child pornography associated with the transfer of files on Kik Messenger, an instant messaging mobile app commonly called Kik.

"Victims in child pornography cases are re-victimized every time these files are viewed or shared," said Detective Wilson. "And it's the job of the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Unit to find justice for these victims. Thanks to our partnership with NCMEC, we're able to work diligently to root out and arrest offenders like Trantham, keeping children safe."

Detective Wilson had sufficient evidence to secure a warrant to access the account in question, and determined that Mr. Trantham was the owner of the account. Trantham had been sending files of child pornography, as well as pictures of himself, to other users across several applications.

Once Detective Wilson obtained enough evidence through digital forensics to establish probable cause for Trantham's arrest, he secured an arrest warrant for Trantham, and took him into custody. He's incarcerated at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida, with his bond set at no bond.

"Thanks to Detective Wilson's hard work and perseverance, another predator was removed from our streets," said Citrus County Sheriff David Vincent. "Stronger together is bigger than just Citrus County, and this case is a great example of why having partnerships with outside agencies is so crucial for the betterment of Citrus County."