Fort Pierce - Thursday October 5, 2023: On October 1st 21-year-old Cevyon Jaden Akin Walton was arrested and charged with:
- 5 counts of sexual battery of a child
- 5 counts of molestation of a child
- 5 counts of cruelty towards a child
- 5 counts of directing sexual performance of a child
- 5 counts of obscene communication with a child
All of the accusations related to his alleged involvement with at least two children under the age of 12.
Walton is also charged with 168 counts of possessing images of child pornography. images that were found on his computer at his home on North Rock Road in Fort Pierce.
At a Thursday morning news conference St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said Walton used the promise of playing video games to lure the youngsters into his home.
“This individual put it out there that he had this gaming room, you are welcome to come when I’m here," said Sheriff Mascara. "These sexual predators they entice children, groom them, and then sexually assault them, and this is the classic case.”
The Fort Pierce Police Department already had Walton under arrest and in jail on an unrelated burglary charge when the Sheriff’s Office got involved. "One of these victims took his older brother over to the house to play games and the older brother identified child pornography on the computer.”
As of now, investigators have identified two victims. But St. Lucie County Sheriff Capt. Troy Norman said there may be more. “We believe there are actually more than two, that’s why we’re asking for help from our community to see if their children had contact with him and be able to come forward with that information.”
The Sheriff asked any one with information about the case, especially parents whose children may have been at risk, to call the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Department at 772-462-3230. Or you can remain anonymous by calling Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-tips.
“After today we expect these numbers to increase once parent realize that this animal lived in their back yard," said Sheriff Mascara. "It’s the most egregious, egregious crime that we see.”