OCALA, Fla.—The husband of missing Mount Dora mom Nicole Baldwin will spend the next 15 years in federal prison, according to documents obtained by Inside Lake.
Brett Baldwin was arrested in late 2023, after investigators found child pornography images on phones that were searched during Mount Dora Police Department’s investigation into the disappearance of his wife, Nicole, who was last seen Nov. 2, 2023. Investigators seized Baldwin’s phones Nov. 28, 2023, the same day they searched the home in Mount Dora the couple shared with their children. It is unknown if investigators found any evidence pertaining to Nicole, but after being missing for nearly two years, she has not been found, and no one has been charged in her disappearance. Mount Dora Police Department has conducted multiple searches for Nicole Baldwin, but so far, those efforts have been unsuccessful.
After investigators found 31 child pornography images on his phones, Brett Baldwin was arrested Dec. 14, 2023 at his mother’s home in Sumter County, and in March, he was found guilty of one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor and three counts of receipt of child pornography by United States District Judge Thomas Barber during a bench trial. In an interview with investigators, Baldwin admitted possessing the child pornography and said it was for “research purposes.” He was later indicted on four charges, and was held on no bond since his arrest.
Courtesy photo
According to court documents, Baldwin waived a jury trial and opted for the case to be decided by Barber; Barber found Baldwin guilty after a 10-minute bench trial, according to court documents. He was sentenced in July to 15 years in prison and will be on lifetime probation once he is released.
Nicole Baldwin, 41, was last seen at her Strathmore Circle home in Mount Dora and reported missing on Nov. 5, 2023. She was originally classified as “missing and endangered,” but a search warrant later stated police were looking for evidence in a second-degree murder investigation. If you have information on Nicole Baldwin’s disappearance, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
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