A Lake County jury has found a 66-year-old Lady Lake man guilty of 37 felony counts of possession of child pornography.
Charles Fred Fesler is being held without bond at the Lake County Jail as he awaits sentencing by Judge James R. Baxley.
In 2020, the Lady Lake Police Department obtained a warrant that allowed officers to search Fesler’s computer, which led to the discovery of images of nude, prepubescent females.
The investigation began after Fesler was charged with lewd acts involving a young girl living with him and the girl’s mother.
The girl, who was under the age of 16, said that on 20 occasions she had been home alone with Fesler when he had approached her, pulled down her nightshirt and touched her private areas, according to an arrest report. She asked him to stop each time, but each time he said, “no,” and that he “didn’t care.”
The mother provided a statement which said that Fesler had asked to dress the girl in “short shorts,” a sports bra and thong panties. He took a photo of the girl in the “short shorts” and sent it to the girl’s mother. The mother responded by saying, her daughter “was not to be dressed in this manner,” the report said.
A detective concluded that Fesler’s actions were “indicative of pedophile behavior.”
The girl’s complaints prompted the search warrant that led to the discovery of the child pornography.
