POLK COUNTY, FL - The Polk Country Sheriff’s Office raided the home of Chris Wilson, 27, of Edgewood Drive in Lakeland, Florida, and charged him with 301 counts of obscenity. Wilson was arrested, and his bail was set at $151,000.
Wilson’s amateur porn website nowthatsfuckedup.com, which accepts and posts user-submitted pictures, made national news recently over its policy of granting free access to any American military personnel stationed in Iraq provided that they submit proof that they are serving overseas. Many of the soldiers submitted pictures of dead Iraqis, which were subsequently posted on the website, which in turn caused an investigation by the United States Army.
Wilson is charged with one count of wholesale distribution of obscene material and 300 misdemeanor counts related to 20 online films and 80 photographs obtained from his website. The obscenity charges all relate to pornographic images, however, and do not relate to the images of the dead Iraqis. YNOT has not yet been able to determine the exact nature of the images, or why the Polk Country Sheriff’s Office believes that they are obscene.
In terms of the announced obscenity charges against Wilson, the Polk Country authorities are triple-dipping. For each video and photograph in question, Wilson is being charged three times – once with distribution of obscene material, once with offering to distribute obscene material, and once with possession of obscene material with intent to distribute.
“The investigation into this matter is ongoing, and we will share any pertinent information with the US Army Criminal Investigations Division,” said Polk Country Sheriff Grady Judd in a press release. “In my 33 years of law enforcement experience, this is one of the most horrific examples of filthy, obscene materials we have ever seized.”
The press release also indicated that the Sheriff’s office was searching Wilson’s residence for a customer list, leading to speculation that the raid could be intended to provide the US Army with information as to which soldiers had sent pictures to Wilson in exchange for membership.
First Amendment attorney Larry Walters of the law firm Weston, Garrou, DeWitt and Walters is representing Wilson.
