WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A former UCF student, first arrested in February on charges related to child pornography, has been arrested in Walton County on new charges, a university spokesperson said.
Joshua Smith faces 18 counts of possession child pornography, along with one count of transmission of child pornography and one count of using a computer to solicit a child, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
University of Central Florida spokesperson Amanda Sellers told WFTV on Wednesday, “Since Smith’s initial arrest in February, additional charges were added based on items found on his electronic devices."
Officials in Walton County said Smith’s arrest on Tuesday in Miramar Beach resulted from an active felony warrant issued by the UCFPD.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force, with assistance from members of the WCSO, made that arrest.
Sheriff’s officials said after Smith’s apprehension, a residential search warrant was executed. The operation was conducted in partnership with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau Cyber Crimes Unit and investigators from the UCFPD.
Smith was transported to the Walton County Jail where he is awaiting extradition to Orange County, officials said.
UCF told Channel that when he was arrested in February, Smith was a sophomore finance pending major and added that he did not have a prior criminal history.
“Federal student privacy laws (FERPA) limit what the university may share regarding individual student matters; however, he is no longer enrolled in classes and remains trespassed from campus,” Sellers said.
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