A man allegedly admitted to authorities when he was arrested that he kept child pornography on his work computer, a judge said in court Thursday.
Stephen Saftler, 62, admitted to police that he kept child pornography on his computer at his Sunrise business after he was arrested Wednesday, said Judge John Hurley during a bond court hearing.
Authorities say they found more than 800 images and 20 videos of child pornography, some depicting children as young as 1 years old, on Saftler's computer in his Sunrise offices of Electronic Service Medical Office.
“The court will note that the allegations say that there was child pornography on computer at your office and that you allegedly admitted to keeping that pornography on that computer,” Judge Hurley said.
Saftler was charged with 50 counts of possession of child pornography and was being held in Broward County Jail on $100,000 bond.
A multi-agency effort, including Fort Lauderdale Police and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, found the images on Saftler’s computer at ESMO after conducting an undercover investigation that led to a search warrant.
Fred Robbins, Saftler’s attorney, acknowledged that an alleged admission of keeping child pornography was written in the police report but would not confirm if his client actually made such admission. Robbins said Saftler plans to plead not guilty.
During the bond court hearing, Judge Hurley ordered Saftler not leave the country, go on the Internet or even speak with individuals under 18 years old in a private setting as conditions for his release on bond. According to the court, Saftler is originally from Texas but lived in South Florida for the past 27 years. He once served in the Air Force.
