Cudjoe Key man arrested in child abuse material probe, state says

A Cudjoe Key man is facing 18 felony counts after investigators said a Snapchat cybertip led them from Broward to a Monroe County search warrant and an arrest in the Keys.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the case against 21-year-old Jacob Rookey on May 18, saying the charges include promotion, possession, transmission and solicitation of child sexual abuse material, along with multiple counts tied to generated sexual images and promotion of animal sexual abuse materials. The charging package includes 1 count of promotion of CSAM, 1 count of possession of CSAM, 1 count of transmission of CSAM by electronic device, 2 counts of solicitation of CSAM, 3 counts of generated altered sexual images, 3 counts of generated CSAM, and 7 counts of promotion of animal sexual abuse materials.

FDLE said the investigation also involved AI-generated sexual images and AI-generated child sexual abuse material. According to the agency, the case began with a cybertip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that reached the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and investigators traced account and IP information back to the Florida Keys. FDLE then worked with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and its Special Operations Team to execute a search warrant on May 14.

Investigators say the online evidence did not stop at possession. The state’s account says detectives found communications in which Rookey allegedly bought and sold child sexual abuse material and animal sexual abuse material, and solicited minors to send him explicit images. In some of those exchanges, investigators say, he allegedly posed as an underage girl.

The case has been assigned to Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Jillian Tate in Florida’s Sixteenth Judicial Circuit. Uthmeier’s office said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges may be filed. FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said predators who prey on children will be investigated and prosecuted aggressively.

WSVN reported that Rookey had worked as a Key West Police Department 911 telecommunicator and that his employment ended in January. The outlet also reported that the initial Snapchat cybertip came in September 2025 and that forensic analysis of Rookey’s device found multiple files of child sexual abuse material and bestiality, with numerous electronic devices seized during the search at his residence.

For Monroe County families, the case is a reminder that online exploitation investigations can move quickly from a single report to a local arrest. NCMEC describes its CyberTipline as the nation’s centralized reporting system for online exploitation of children, and it said it received more than 20.5 million reports in 2024, including more than 546,000 reports of online enticement.