CLEWISTON — In the early morning hours on September 29, 2023, Clewiston Police Officers, assisted by a member of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office, served a search warrant at East Pasadena Avenue in Clewiston in reference to the possession of child pornography.

An investigation was initiated after a Clewiston detective assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the uploading of pornographic material involving children onto an online platform. After executing the search warrant, the suspect was identified as 32-year-old Ronald C. Cantley, Jr., East Pasadena Avenue in Clewiston.

After interviewing the occupants of the home regarding videos of sexually explicit content depicting toddlers and infants, Mr. Cantley was arrested on charges of possession of child pornography. He was transported to the Hendry County Jail where he is being held without bond pending appearance before a Hendry County judge.

Detectives confiscated numerous items from the home which will be forensically analyzed; more charges are expected.

Clewiston Police Chief Tom Lewis stated, “We are extremely proud members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This is another example of how Florida law enforcement is identifying predators of our most venerable population and holding them accountable. We would like to thank Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden and the members of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office for their partnership and assistance.”

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Williams at 863-983-1474. Anyone with information on other cases of child exploitation is asked to please contact their local law enforcement agency.