66. Former Deltona youth pastor indicted on child-porn possession charges

DELTONA -- A former youth pastor and missionary from Deltona is facing federal charges after Volusia County Sheriff's investigators found thousands of images of child pornography on the man's computer. Investigators wrapped up an eight-month investigation in mid-December with the indictment of Joel Price on two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.

The 36-year-old Price first came under suspicion back in April, when a Martin County Sheriff's investigator who also is a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force discovered child pornography being openly shared over the Internet, Davidson said.

After tracing the host computer to a home in Deltona, the investigation was turned over to a joint child exploitation task force representing the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, Brevard County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With Lauralynn Mays, a Volusia County Sheriff's Office sex crimes investigator and local ICAC member taking the lead, a search warrant was obtained in May to search Price's home at 218 Balsam Street in Deltona.

"Investigators seized computer equipment from the home, and a forensic examination by the local task force revealed more than 6,000 pictures and approximately 250 video clips depicting children engaged in sexual activity," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said. "Investigators believe Price downloaded all of the images from the Internet and did not have sexual contact with any children or take any of the pictures. Price, who resigned his position as a youth pastor with the New Tribes Mission, openly admitted during an interview with Sheriff's investigators to being obsessed with child pornography."

The investigation resulted in a December's federal indictment against Price, who was arrested Dec. 18, at his new residence in Osteen and transported to the Federal Courthouse in Orlando.