STUART — Austin James Southers, a 27-year-old Stuart resident, was arrested by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office on charges related to child exploitation and the possession and distribution of illegal material.
Southers faces a total of 91 charges, including possession and transmission of sexually explicit material involving minors.
The specific charges against Southers are:
- 35 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material
- 44 counts of buying, selling, or exchanging child exploitation material
- 11 counts of electronically transmitting explicit material involving minors
- 1 count of possessing material depicting the solicitation of child sexual abuse
The investigation began following a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children through the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit is a part of.
Detectives discovered disturbing images on Southers' computer, depicting minors, many of whom appeared to be under the age of 11, being sexually abused.
One of the images showed a child with her wrists and legs bound, posed with an adult male. It is believed the material was transmitted via the internet, though the identities of the victims have not been determined.
Southers was taken into custody and booked into the Martin County Jail with a bond set at $910,000.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward.