Sean Mesa: Florida Teen Arrested On Gun Charges And Possession Of Child Pornography
Ever since the Parkland school shooting, parents across the nation have been on high alert to ensure the safety of their children. But one Miami father has taken his efforts a step further. When he found pictures and social media posts of his 18-year-old son, Sean Mesa, posing with guns, he turned the teen’s cell phones over to the police.
Mesa’s Instagram and Snapchat posts were already disturbing, but what police discovered saved on those two phones was arguably worse. The teen had child pornography saved on the devices and now he has been arrested. Mesa faces charges of child pornography and improper display of a firearm.
The U.S. Secret Service probed the teen’s phones. According to the arrest warrant, video footage of a child under the age of 10 appeared to be sexually abused. The Miami Herald reported that Mesa had shared the video with two other people in a group chat.
Eighteen-year-old Mesa is a student at Dr. Michael Krop Senior High School. Miami-Dade Schools Detective John Messenger visited the campus and spoke with the teen on Tuesday. His purpose was to have a friendly conversation with the student and find out more about the many pictures that Mesa had taken with the guns. The student reportedly told Messenger that he liked guns and that it was within his rights to post whatever he wanted on social media.
The social media posts quickly got the attention of the U.S Homeland Security Investigations’ Violent Gang Task Force. But even after the conversation with Messenger and the confiscation of his phones, Mesa became more aggressive. He accessed other devices to keep posting to his Snapchat account. Mesa uploaded one picture of a gun resting on his lap and commented, “now they watching so I ain’t stopping.”
Miami-Dade Schools police took Mesa into custody on Friday morning after reports of his escalated behavior. Mesa was arraigned on Friday afternoon in Judge Victoria Sigler’s court. The warrant indicated that the teen’s last Snapchat photos made the students and staff at Krop Senior High feel “alarmed and afraid.” Because of the shooting at Douglas High, which claimed 17 lives, authorities have been more vigilant about responding to the warning signs of potential school shooters.
There is no word yet on whether or not Mesa posted bail.
In light of today’s arrest of 18 year old Sean Mesa, I am sharing this important message once again. I urge all parents to please be vigilant about their children’s social media posts. Awareness and prevention are key and should be the first lines of defense. https://t.co/qlZgBIhmuu
— Kathy Rundle (@KathyFndzRundle) February 23, 2018
