OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Two men are facing several child pornography charges after their arrests Tuesday in Okeechobee County.
On Tuesday, the sheriff's office announced that Thomas Elton McClain Jr., 59, was arrested on six counts of child pornography, three counts of sexual activities involving animals and four counts of transmission of child pornography.
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office announced the arrest of Richard Berglund, 33, on seven counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of transmission of pornography.
The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said its criminal investigation into McClain Jr. started on Sept. 11 of last year when the agency received a tip about him.
Two months later, when detectives went to McClain's home in Country Hill's Estates on Nov. 13, they found him driving a vehicle without a valid license.
The sheriff's office said detectives then searched McClain's home and found a loaded firearm magazine.
Because McClain has a felony record, he was arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, along with operating a motor vehicle while his driver's license was suspended or revoked.
Move ahead another two months, the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that after conducting forensic searches on electronic devices from McClain's home, the agency found he had been searching for child pornography and bestiality — which is pornography involving animals — numerous times.
McClain was arrested and booked into the Okeechobee County Jail.
In the Bergland case, on Dec. 6 a detective received a tip about an individual within Okeechobee County uploading child pornography onto the internet.
During the investigation, a suspect was identified as Berglund.
On Tuesday, a probable cause search warrant was conducted at Bergland's residence at the 3100 block of SE 36th Avenue.
Evidence located during that search warrant led to Berglund’s arrest,
He was taken to the jail.
