(Citrus County, FL) On Friday, January 26, 2024, in a Citrus County courtroom, jurors found 38-year-old Glenn Talmage Cunningham guilty on four counts of Transmission of Harmful Material to a Minor and two counts of Computer Pornography to Seduce, Solicit, Lure, or Entice a Child to Engage in Any Illegal Act. Cunningham did not appear in court during his trial.
Back in March of 2023, Cunningham was arrested by Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) officials during CCSO’s High Tech Crimes Unit undercover Internet Crimes Against Children operation called Operation Lucky Strike. The operation was aimed at apprehending internet cyber predators who attempted to engage in sexual activity with a child.
“Our office commends the diligence of law enforcement in ensuring the safety of our youth by conducting operations such as this,” said William “Bill” Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “This verdict removes another predator off our streets. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement counterparts to prosecute those who exploit and endanger children.”
As part of the operation, law enforcement officials posed as minors on websites waiting to be solicited through online messages by child predators, who would send sexually explicit pictures, messages, and detailed requests of various sexual activities they wanted to perform with the child.
During the operation, law enforcement officials were contacted by Cunningham, who had knowingly texted and called who he believed to be a 14-year-old female child. After sending two graphic images and continuously contacting the decoy, officials had enough evidence to arrest Cunningham.
An arrest warrant was issued and CCSO deputies made contact with Cunningham shortly after. Cunningham told officials that he believed he was speaking to an adult, despite the numerous pieces of evidence showing he acknowledged the person to be only 14 years of age via a chat forum and text messages. Additionally, Cunningham admitted to sending the decoy pornographic images of male anatomy.
This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Blake Shore and Elizabeth Colombrito.
Published on 01/29/2024.