Tampa, Florida Man Arrested for Sexual Exploitation of  Children

Jackson, Butts, GA (February 2, 2024) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit arrested and charged Ethan Deneault, age 46, of Tampa, Florida, with 3 counts of sexual exploitation of children (possession of child sexual abuse material).   

The GBI CEACC Unit began an investigation into Deneault in May 2023 while investigating a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the possible online possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. During a forensic search of electronic devices, evidence showed that Deneault was in Butts County, Georgia in January 2023 when the offenses occurred.  GBI agents obtained arrest warrants on January 11, 2024.  The following day, law enforcement officers with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office located Deneault at his place of employment in Tampa, Florida.   

Denault was arrested and taken to Hillsborough County Jail where he is awaiting extradition proceedings. 

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U.S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims. 

Anyone with information about these cases, or other cases of child exploitation, is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Unit at 404-270-8870. 

Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online , or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.