In April of 2025 Detectives Ryan Sullivan and Mary Weaver with the Levy County Sheriff’s Office ICAC / Sex Offender Unit received a complaint from a juvenile and her guardian that a male had contacted the juvenile through a popular social media platform. The juvenile victim told detectives that the male identified himself through a moniker (screen name) and requested various photos of the juvenile. The male was identified as Ronald Pate Newman who is a registered sexual offender from Youngstown, Ohio.
The parental guardian discovered the chats and contacted the Levy County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division who immediately launched an investigation. Detectives found Newman had contacted the juvenile and requested explicit photos and sexual favors. Levy County Sheriff’s Office Detectives contacted the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations for assistance due to the criminal acts occurring over multiple state lines.
The United States Homeland Security Investigations and Levy County Sheriff’s Office Detectives presented the case to Northern District Court of Florida where the local Levy County case was adopted at the federal level and federal charges were filed in the investigation. On October 7th the United States Department of Homeland Security executed a search warrant at the Ohio residence of Ronald Newman where he was arrested on the warrants for CSAM.
Ronald Newman is being held without bond in the Mahoning County Jail as federal authorities work to transfer him to Florida, where he faces charges in connection with a CSAM and Sexual Offender violations.
Sheriff McCallum is and the LCSO remain committed to these investigations in order to protect our children. He encourages all parents to monitor their children as they navigate on line.