ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — A Pensacola 24-year-old is behind bars after deputies allegedly found 22 files depicting sexual conduct with a minor child on the man’s computer and phone, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.  

Gage Michael Tappan, 24, was charged with 22 counts of possession of obscene material.

According to deputies, on Oct. 11, 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTipline Report reporting seven uploaded files of “apparent child pornography.” The NCMEC provided the suspect’s email address, screen/username and ESP user ID.

Deputies said the same IP address was reported to have been used to upload all of the files on Sept. 22, 2021. An investigator reviewed the uploaded files, which depicted a nude female child, less than 10 years of age in a sexual manner.

On March 10, 2022, deputies said Cox Communications responded to a subpoena for the subscriber’s information for the time and date of the upload. Cox Communications provided Tappan as the subscriber.

On Oct. 19, 2022, a search warrant was executed by members of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation at Tappan’s home. Deputies said they seized Tappan’s Google Pixel 5 cellphone and an HP laptop.

Deputies said five of the six images reported, which prompted the investigation, were located on Tappan’s cellphone. They said his HP laptop and an internal drive also had files depicting either sexual contact, deviate sexual intercourse or the genitals of a minor child.

Tappan was booked into the Escambia County Jail on a $440,000 bond.