Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces One Hundred Criminal Charges for Predator Arrested in Seminole County

View PDF Release Date Mar 17, 2026 Contact Communications Phone (850) 245-0150

Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of Blake McKinniss, 37, of Sanford. McKinniss faces 53 Counts of possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), 46 counts of possessing AI-generated CSAM, and one count of possessing a child-like sex doll. During a search of his house, law enforcement found a bedroom decorated for a little girl, even though no children lived there.

“Law enforcement and prosecutors walked into a house of horrors upon executing this search warrant,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “This guy could spend the rest of his life in prison, and I’m grateful our team worked to ensure he never has access to our kids. I also thank Representative Plakon for supporting legislation to keep convicted predators away from children.”

“I am honored to work alongside my fellow legislators to protect Florida’s children from those who exploit them through harmful materials,” said Representative Rachel Plakon. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Attorney General and our dedicated law enforcement agencies for their relentless efforts in enforcing these critical laws.”

“FDLE remains steadfast in our mission to protect our most vulnerable from those who seek to harm them,” said FDLE Special Agent in Charge Felipe Williams. “Our agents and law enforcement partners work every day to identify and remove dangerous predators from our communities. We have kept our word: if you think you can prey on our children, you are wrong. We will continue working with our partners and with Attorney General Uthmeier’s team to ensure offenders are found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The investigation began January 27, 2026, when the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip reported a user prompting the creation of CSAM using AI. The IP address led to McKinniss.

On March 9, 2026, FDLE executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence, where investigators located numerous files depicting CSAM on electronic devices belonging to McKinniss. Additionally, investigators found that McKinniss had children's bedrooms decorated, despite not being a parent. In these bedrooms, law enforcement found massive amounts of sexual paraphernalia, including child-like sex dolls, as well as children’s toys and clothing.

McKinniss is currently held in the Seminole County Jail on $350,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 1,026 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

The Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute this case in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida.

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