South Florida

Dad Worried About Gun Posts Turns Son's Phone In, Child Porn Found: Cops

A student at Miami's Michael Krop Senior High School was arrested after his father, who became concerned over social media posts showing the teen with guns, turned his phone over to police officers who discovered child pornography, officials said.

Sean Mesa, 18, was arrested Thursday on charges including possession of a sexual performance by a child, promoting the sexual performance of a child and improper exhibition of a weapon, according to an arrest report.

According to the report, a Miami-Dade Schools Police investigator began investigating Mesa after learning that he'd posted numerous photos on Instagram and Snapchat in which he recklessly displayed firearms and pointed them at the camera.

When the investigator met with Mesa at the school, he "attempted to engage in a friendly conversation to understand what Sean Mesa's fascination with firearms was," the report said. Mesa responded that he likes guns and "it was his right to post on social media whatever he wished," the report said.

The investigator contacted Mesa's father, who said he told Mesa numerous times that he doesn't like him posting photos and videos with firearms on social media, "especially in light of the recent tragedy in Parkland," the report said. The father gave the investigator consent to look at Mesa's two phones.

Four videos on one of Mesa's phone that were recorded on Dec. 31 showed him possessing two firearms, including a pistol tucked in his waistline and what appears to be an AK-47, the report said. The officer also found a video showing child pornography, the report said.

Mesa later posted photos on Snapchat, including one that said he had people "reporting me to the FBI" and another that appeared to show a handgun, the report said.

"These latest Snapchat photos have students and staff at Dr. Michael Krop Senior High School alarmed and afraid," the report said.

Mesa's arrest comes just days after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives. Authorities say the suspect in the shooting, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, used an AR-15 and had also made alarming social media posts with weapons.

Several students in South Florida and throughout the state have been arrested since the shooting for allegedly making threats against schools.

In bond court Friday, Mesa was appointed a public defender. The judge gave him a total bond of $41,000.

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