Eustis

EUSTIS, Fla.— A Eustis man is facing 10 counts of possession of obscene and lewd materials, following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The suspect was identified and arrested after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received multiple tips about accounts linked to a man, later identified as Randall Lee Small II, 38.

According to a probable cause affidavit, FDLE began investigating tips that came into NCMEC’s CyperTipline (CT) from multiple social media platforms last year, including Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat.  A tip came from Facebook in May 2024, regarding one of its users uploading six files containing “child erotica.”

“Child erotica images portray an unclothed, partially clothed, or clothed child depicted in a sexually explicit manner indicating the child has a willingness to engage in sexual activity,” the affidavit states.

In August 2024, an FDLE agent attempted to speak with Small at his home on Pine Road in the Pine Lakes area of unincorporated Eustis. The agent spoke with Small’s mother, who said he was not home, and the agent left her business card. Small never called her and the CT report was closed; an additional tip from Snapchat stated username Randallringo uploaded 25 child erotica images, and users he shared the content with called him a “predator” because the girls he was referring to were only 9 and 12 years old, according to the affidavit.  The affidavit does not include the date this tip was received.

On Jan. 15, FDLE agents traveled to Small’s place of employment. Small was summoned to the clubhouse at the golf course where he worked in unincorporated Eustis, and he pulled up and left on a golf cart three times before finally parking. As he walked toward agents, he was making swiping motions on his phone and later admitted he was deleting messages and photos of juveniles in bikinis. Agents asked Small if they could see his phone, and he stated, “No, not without a warrant.”

An agent took the phone as evidence and Small, who seemed “embarrassed,” admitted he was stupid for posting the photos. He claimed he would never touch a child, and he got the photos from the internet. Small said he had only been sharing the photos for a year, and an agent told him that was untrue, and he had been on her “radar since 2021.” Small reportedly replied, “I know.”

FDLE obtained a warrant for the phone and found multiple images of child erotica. Small was charged with 10 counts of possession of obscene and lewd materials, stemming from files found on his TikTok and Snapchat accounts. A warrant was issued for his arrest March 10, and he was arrested at home Thursday. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond.