Lake Alfred City Commissioner arrested for possessing child porn

Charles Lake
Charles Lake told authorities he has viewed such content regularly since at least 2008.

Lake Alfred City Commissioner Charles Lake has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography.

An arrest affidavit shows Polk County Sheriff’s deputies served a warrant at Lake’s home. Lake, documents show, confessed to police that he was in possession of child pornography, including many images kept on a “Patriot” USB drive.

The Lake Alfred Republican now faces 300 counts of possessing child pornography. The 90-year-old possessed pictures, based on the charges, of children between the ages 2 and 12 engaged in sex acts.

Lake, before winning elected office in Florida, spent 50 years in magazine publishing in New York City, according to his city biography. That included a stint as production director for Women’s Day. He also held such a position with three other monthly magazines and 19 special interest magazines.

Lake was a member of the Association of Publication Production Managers for more than 40 years, and served twice as President.

After retirement, he lived briefly in New Jersey working in retail, but moved to Polk County in 2008. He first became involved in the city in 2009, first as a member of the Planning Board and then with the Friends of the Library.

He first ran for office in 2011 but lost. The following year, he was appointed to a vacancy, and then won a term on his own in 2013. Lake served as Mayor of Lake Alfred from 2015 to 2019, and held a regular event called “Monday Morning with the Mayor.” Lake did not seek re-election in 2022, but returned to the Commission the next year and currently is serving a term that expires in 2027.

And according to an investigation affidavit, he was looking at child porn regularly during that entire period.

“I do not know how much child porn I possess, but I have been looking at it since I lived in New Jersey,” he told investigators, according to an affidavit excerpt published by the Lakeland Ledger.

Authorities were alerted after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an individual was uploading images in the region of an underage girl. After filing subpoenas with web providers and cross-referencing that with police databases, authorities traced the digital activity to Lake’s home.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


21 comments

  • Dont Say FLA

    April 19, 2024 at 2:26 pm

    At least the toddlers he allegedly viewed being lewd, at least, now, up to 16 years later, they are officially too young to work at the strip club.

    Florida’s G0P sure does keep kids safe. Good job, Florida G0P. Again.

    • Tom

      April 19, 2024 at 2:49 pm

      On a Patriot usb drive as well – he’s a very patriotic paedophile apparently – maybe he’s a member of one of the Patriotic groups that rhonda wants in our schools.

  • Kent Sterman

    April 19, 2024 at 3:01 pm

    Taylor Swift has three shows coming up in Miami.

    He sure blew it, getting caught before those shows.

  • rick whitaker

    April 19, 2024 at 3:18 pm

    news flash, a florida man just set himself on fire after tossing a handful of conspiracy theory ridden pamphlets in the air. he was following the maga insanity no doubt.

    • Dont Say FLA

      April 19, 2024 at 3:28 pm

      Rick, Shhhh! Remember, Rhonda banned all reporting on acts of self-immolation. Rhonda’s Special Goon Squad might come and get ya if you’re not careful.

    • Dont Say FLA

      April 19, 2024 at 4:05 pm

      Dude seems to have been terribly upset about Crypto and about the collapse of Silcon Valley Bank.

      He expresses anti-Musk, anti-Thiel, and anti-Trump sentiments, yet also rants about the US government being run by a “secret kleptocracy” which seems to be the entity faka Deep State.

      He also (self) reportedly hated both The Simpsons and Life In Hell by Matt Groening.

      Covid was actually a big cover-up for the stock markets effects of a Crypto related Ponzi scheme.

      In other words, if we don’t hear from IBS anymore, I will figure it must have been him. Oh well, sometimes he had fair points. Bye, IBS. We might miss you a little, sometimes.

      • Ocean Joe

        April 19, 2024 at 4:27 pm

        Based on his defense of the indefensible Donald Trump, I’d say Impeach is immolation-proof.

      • Earl Pitts "RON'S OFFICIAL "UNOFFICIAL VPOTUS CAMPAIGN MANAGER" American

        April 19, 2024 at 7:49 pm

        Good evening America,
        The piro self flagulation dude was/is not a political statement as he/she was most likely a newly bitten vampire who was advised the only way that a real vampire can stop the curse is to burn themselves up.
        But newbys often are not properly educated on how to do it successfully.
        Squirting a bunch of lighter fluid or gasoline on a vampire and lighting them up is seldom succussfull.
        It takes a much larger and hotter fire to “break the curse”.
        Typically vampires in the “Olden Days” would build a gigantic fire of huge and epic proportions and could be seen “Dancing Around in the vortex of the Giant Fire to finally break the curse of “The Night Stalker”.
        In modern times vampires who want to “End The Curse” will typically set fire to an apartment building or a warehouse to achieve a fire of epic preportions with enough to break the curse. Firefighters are instructed not to talk about seeing vampires dancing around in the flames.
        And while we are not sure what may be the end result here …. what we can and should do is pray for that individual and his/her family while we realize this was not a “Political Statement” at all.
        Thank you America,
        Earl Pitts “EARL KNOWS ABOUT VAMPIRES” American

        • rick whitaker

          April 19, 2024 at 7:59 pm

          EARL, BORING, SNOOZER, WAKE ME UP WHEN WE GET THERE. YOU OLD PUNK’S PUNK YOU.

      • Tom

        April 20, 2024 at 7:54 am

        Maybe he was just a Pink Floyd fan doing a reenactment of Wish You Were Here. Gotta love NYC with that art and culture and doing it so close to trumplestiltskin’s trial … perfect. And, of course, he’s from Florida.

      • Pat Dry

        April 20, 2024 at 12:31 pm

        But he used an environmentally friendly alcohol based accelerant

    • Dont Say FLA

      April 22, 2024 at 1:02 pm

      No need to guess. His pamphlets were referrals to his writings which are at ThePonziPpapers daught substack doC Tom (still, even today, April 22 2024).

      His ThePonziPapers page on substack asks you subscribe but your can just hit “maybe later” and then the index of his writings loads and you can read any/all of it that you like.

  • Julia

    April 19, 2024 at 5:26 pm

    US Dollar 2,000 in a Single Online Day Due to its position, the United States cz02 offers a plethora of opportunities for those seeking employment. With so many options accessible, it might be difficult to know where to start. You may choose the ideal online housekeeping strategy with the help vz-83 of this post.
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    • Earl Pitts "RON'S OFFICIAL "UNOFFICIAL VPOTUS CAMPAIGN MANAGER" American

      April 19, 2024 at 7:57 pm

      …..Uhhh Julia… you are kind of in the way of the exchange of vital National Security Infornation being Sagely Delivered To our Greatfull Nation by Earl Pitts American.
      So I respectfully request that you “Go Away” and find another place to shill for your “Ill Gotten Gain”
      Julia:
      BE GONE.
      EPA

      • Speedy Gonzalez

        April 19, 2024 at 8:11 pm

        Thanking Earl for letting Americans know vampires are real SloPoke has driven wooden stakes into mucho vampire hearts and shot thems with the silver bullits back in Mexico. Americans should turn their ears to what Mr. Earl is saying and vote for Trump to Stop This Madness once and for all. Speedy and SloPoke Americans.

        • Earl Pitts "RON'S OFFICIAL "UNOFFICIAL VPOTUS CAMPAIGN MANAGER" American

          April 19, 2024 at 8:19 pm

          Thanks Speedy and SloPoke for adding your experience from your former home of Mexico so Americans can “Know The Truth” and “Savor Earl’s Sage Wisdom” on these “Truths We Hold To Be Self-Evidant”.
          Now everyone “KNOWS” AND:
          “Knowing Stuff Is 1/2 The Battle to acheive “Sage Wisdom”.
          EPA

          • Earl Pitts "RON'S OFFICIAL "UNOFFICIAL VPOTUS CAMPAIGN MANAGER" American

            April 19, 2024 at 8:24 pm

            ….. and further more since this is all “Breaking News” I suggest nobody “Relax Your Political Sphincters” at this time until we get this all sorted out.
            THEREFORE:
            I am ordering our Nation to keep your “Political Sphincters” on 1/2 “Pucker Factor” until I give “The All Clear”
            Earl Pitts American

          • rick whitaker

            April 20, 2024 at 11:09 pm

            RACIST EARL SHITS POST

  • An old voice

    April 20, 2024 at 12:08 pm

    Definitely a Republican. Definitely Not a drag queen. As far as I can tell, not a gay man. Definitely not transgender. And I’m willing to guess that he’s a regular churchgoer.

    • rick whitaker

      April 20, 2024 at 11:08 pm

      ANOLDVOICE, a lot of regular church goers are perverts. so what’s your point.

  • Pat Dry

    April 20, 2024 at 12:33 pm

    Sure blame your perviness on Jersey, everybody else does

    “What happens in Jersey moves to Florida”

Comments are closed.


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