INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A registered sex offender jailed in March for failing to provide his email address faces additional charges after deputies found child pornography images linked to his Google Photos account. Daniel Wagner’s probation officer located 1,688 images, along with 86 videos, depicting illicit acts involving juveniles on Wagner’s Samsung cell phone, reports show.
Some of the material showed images of minors as young as five years old, according to officials. Deputies said one photo showed a sexual battery involving a child.
Wagner, 42, of the 8600 block of 22nd Street, West Vero Corridor, was charged on Wednesday with 81 counts of possession of child pornography images. Wagner remained held Saturday at the Indian River County Jail on a $1,660,000 bond.
The case unfolded on March 26 when Indian River County sheriff’s deputies responded to Wagner’s residence for a child pornography investigation. Deputies said Wagner was on federal probation and restricted from having access to devices with internet, including computers, tablets and smart phones, reports show.
Wagner was also not permitted to have Wi-Fi in his home under the probation conditions.
Deputies went to Wagner’s home, searched his gray 2024 Nissan Frontier pickup and found a black Samsung Galaxy cell phone in the truck’s center console, reports show. Wagner told deputies he would drive to a nearby RaceTrac gas station to use the public access Wi-Fi.
Wagner told deputies the phone contained both child and adult pornographic material. Deputies found the illicit material in a downloads folder connected to Wagner’s Google Photos account, reports show.
Deputies seized the phone and placed it into evidence. Wagner was arrested and booked into the county jail.
On June 25, 2019, Wagner was found guilty in St. Lucie County for failing to report as part of his court-ordered sexual offender requirements, officials said. Wagner’s arraignment for the child pornography charges is at 8:45 a.m. July 10 in Indian River County, court records show.
