Gainesville man arrested on child pornography charges

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Anthony Terrell Leslie, 36, was arrested yesterday for allegedly possessing at least 10 child sexual abuse images; officers reported that 789 child sexual abuse videos were found on his Google account, and he reportedly told officers that he believed about 500 images would be found on his phone.

Google submitted eight CyberTips in January 2026 regarding child sexual abuse material found on accounts with the name “Anthony Leslie.” A Gainesville Police Department detective investigated the tips and received additional information from Google regarding 789 child sexual abuse videos, with the majority reportedly showing pre-pubescent male and female victims; at least two videos reportedly show sexual activity between pubescent minors and dogs. An additional 111 images are classified as child erotica and/or age-questionable, and two videos show bestiality involving adults.

A subpoena to Cox led to an apartment at 39th Avenue Apartments (1101 NW 39th Avenue), and a search warrant was executed at the apartment on August 6.

Post Miranda, Leslie reportedly admitted to downloading child pornography and saving it to his phone; he initially said this only happened once, but when he was told that information from Google indicated it had been occurring since August 2024, he reportedly acknowledged seeking out child pornography, but not every day. He reportedly admitted to downloading child pornography in Gainesville and in Oklahoma, where he lived until 2025.

The detective reported that one of Leslie’s other email accounts had been reported in two CyberTips in 2022 and 2025 in Oklahoma, and a family member reportedly said that Leslie sought out child pornography when he was a minor; Leslie reportedly confirmed this.

The detective also found that a residential search warrant was served in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2013, but officers were unable to confirm at the time that Leslie was the suspect, and Leslie did not provide consent to search his devices.

Leslie reportedly said he believes at least 500 child pornography images/videos would be found on his phone, and the detective reported that an initial review of his primary phone found “numerous” child pornography videos. A complete search of the device is being conducted, and additional charges may be added.

The detective reported that when Leslie was being taken into custody, a second phone was found concealed in the seat, and Leslie reportedly admitted that he had tried to reset both of his phones when officers arrived at his door.

Leslie has initially been charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography. He has no local criminal history, and his full criminal history is unavailable because those documents are not uploaded to the court system for crimes involving minors. Senior Judge Bo Bayer set bail at $1,000,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.