22-year-old Broward man arrested after uploading child sex abuse material, police say
A South Florida man was arrested Monday after he posted child sex abuse content online, according to police.
Patrick James Gallagher of Pembroke Pines is facing 10 counts of sexual performance by a child for the possession of child sex abuse material and one count of computer pornography. The 22-year-old remained in Broward County’s Main Jail as of Wednesday afternoon, records show.
Following a referral from the Broward County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in May about child sex abuse material uploaded to the internet, investigators identified Gallagher as a potential suspect, Pembroke Pines police said Tuesday in a news release. According to his arrest report, Google provided police with Gallagher’s name and email address after investigators say he transferred the illegal files to the company’s servers.
Detectives then kept tabs on Gallagher, gathering additional information that led them to get an arrest warrant and to ultimately put him in handcuffs during a traffic stop near the intersection of Southwest 193rd Avenue and Sheridan Street in Pembroke Pines, police said.
The arrest was first reported by WPLG Local 10 News.
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“At this time we have no evidence to suggest that Gallagher ever physically interacted with any juveniles during the commission of these crimes,” Pembroke Pines police said.
This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 8:37 PM.
