Astor man arrested on multiple child pornography charges.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

Troy L. Sautbine, 50, of Astor, has been arrested on more than two dozen child pornography charges after investigators discovered graphic files on his phone and USB device during a search warrant.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provided a tip to detectives, which led to the discovery of a file uploaded to a social media account belonging to Sautbine. Investigators found multiple photos of women, teenage girls, and young children, along with comments from Sautbine’s social media account, which described his attraction to children and Sautbine's desire to sexually abuse them.

According to a release, during the execution of a search warrant, detectives found 25 video files that depicted the sexual abuse of girls ranging from a baby or toddler to 10 years old. Additionally, Word documents were recovered from Sautbine’s phone containing short stories describing the sexual abuse of children, cannibalism, and other violent acts.

When questioned about the graphic written content, Sautbine indicated that he was participating in a role-playing fantasy.

Sautbine was arrested on Friday and charged with twenty-five counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child. As of today, he remains in custody on a $625,000 bond.

As of the time of writing, the VSO Child Exploitation Unit has not identified any victims, being the files found in Sautbine’s possession were downloaded and not produced locally. Authorities are asking anyone with information about this or any other case involving the sexual abuse of children to contact the Child Exploitation Unit at 386-323-3574.