Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that over 2,000 child predators have been arrested since he took office in February 2025. The milestone reflects the aggressive work of the Office of Statewide Prosecution in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies to identify, arrest, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children.

"Protecting our children is my number one priority," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "With over 2,000 child predators arrested since I took office, we are sending a clear message: if you prey on kids in this state, we will find you, arrest you, and put you behind bars. Thanks to our law enforcement partners and Statewide Prosecutors, we are breaking all-time records against predators."

"Florida is safer with the men and women at FDLE doing their very best to protect our communities from individuals who exploit and harm our children," said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass. "Our agents and analysts will continue to work with our criminal justice partners and Attorney General James Uthmeier's Office of Statewide Prosecution to accomplish the mission of keeping our streets free from these criminals."

"At the Lee County Sheriff's Office, we are constantly looking ahead," said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. "We are not waiting for a child to become a victim before we act. We are investing in training, technology, intelligence, and the people who have dedicated their lives to protect protecting children. This is what proactive policing and solid partnerships look like."

"Some of these vile crimes are committed by people we trust with our kids. That is unacceptable. FDLE will continue to investigate these crimes and work with the Office of Statewide Prosecution to hold these individuals accountable, but it is a group effort that starts with secure internet habits," said FDLE Fort Myers Special Agent in Charge Eli Lawson. "Secure internet habits start at home. While families are getting ready for the school year to begin, I strongly encourage parents to have the important conversations with your children about safe online use."

"Thank you to Attorney General James Uthmeier, Sheriff Carmine Marceno, and every law enforcement entity and agent standing with us to protect children," said Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Denise Carlin. "The moment we were notified of this teacher's arrest, we acted immediately, removing him from the classroom and barring him from every district property. I recommended he be terminated swiftly. Predators will find no harbor in The School District of Lee County."

Recent cases highlight the ongoing intensity of these efforts:

• Graham Freeman, 56, of Cape Coral, a middle school science teacher in Lee County School District, was arrested on August 6, 2026, and charged with 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of sexual activity involving animals. An FDLE investigation into peer-to-peer file sharing identified activity linked to his residence. Agents executed a search warrant and recovered multiple electronic devices containing the illegal material. Freeman has been removed from the classroom.
• Jordan Kent Hall, 33, of Sarasota, faces 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and one count of sexual activities involving animals. Following an investigation of peer-to-peer network activity, FDLE agents executed a search warrant at his residence on July 30, 2026, and recovered devices containing the prohibited material.
• Matthew David Peter, 41, of Zephyrhills, faces charges of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services, transmission of harmful material to a minor, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony. The charges stem from an undercover FDLE operation in which Peter engaged in sexually explicit communications with an agent posing as a 13-year-old girl and transmitted harmful material.

These prosecutions are part of a broader surge in results. Since February 2025, the Office of Statewide Prosecution's Crimes Against Children efforts have secured nearly 693 years of prison sentences-more than four times the previous monthly rate-while case filings have increased dramatically.

The cases against Freeman and Peter will be prosecuted in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit and Hall in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit by Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Agnieszka Thomas.

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