Jesse Roger Armstrong Arrested; UF psychiatrist arrested for uploading child abuse material
A guy was arrested by Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers for allegedly posting pictures of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online.
Around 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Jesse Roger Armstrong, 34, of Tennessee, was taken into custody by officers. He is charged with 13 counts of possessing material related to sexual abuse.
It came after Microsoft reported that CSAM had been published to Bing Images in August 2024 in a tip sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Police claimed that the upload IP address was connected to a Gainesville Cox Communications account and that the photographs in the CyberTip sexually portrayed prepubescent youngsters.
In Sept. 2024, Officers submitted a subpoena for the IP address and found it to be associated with Armstrong and his local address.
Police determined through a DAVID search in Oct. 2024 that Armstrong was employed by the University of Florida (UF) as a doctor in the psychiatry department.
University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) officers confirmed that Armstrong was employed by UF and his address on file matched the IP address.
Officers executed a search warrant at 8 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2024, at Armstrong’s residence.
Post-Miranda, Armstrong told authorities he had lived at that location for about 18 months. He said that in June 2024, his wife and three children moved to Tennessee and he had been living on his own since then.
Armstrong told police no one had access to his Internet at the time of the incident reported in the CyberTip.
He told police he uses Microsoft Bing approximately three times a week to reverse image search pornography.
Armstrong told police he “didn’t think them to be juveniles,” according to the arrest report, but admitted, “it’s possible.”
Police took multiple electronic devices from Armstrong’s property and completed a forensic analysis. After viewing the graphic images and videos, which they said included prepubescent, juveniles and animals, they charged Armstrong with 10 counts of possession of child exploitation material. He also faces 3 charges of animal sexual abuse material.
His bond is set at $325,000.
TV20 has confirmed with officials from UF Health that Armstrong was a medical resident at UF Health Shands and has been terminated from his position.
We can confirm that he has been terminated as a UF employee.
This employee has been on a leave of absence since December. Additionally, UFPD issued a trespass warning for the individual in question on Dec. 12, barring him from all UF properties for three years.
UF Health Spokesperson
TV20 is working to find out if Armstrong had access to children through his job. This is a developing story that will be updated as more information is learned.