Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla – Joshua Simaul Bryan, 38, was detained on June 26 for noncompliance with sexual offender registration guidelines; 13 additional charges related to child pornography have now been filed following an examination of his devices.

On April 20, Gainesville Police Department received a CyberTip about a child sexual abuse (CSAM) image that had been uploaded to Flingster.

A subpoena revealed the IP address owner tied to the upload was linked to Bryan’s residence at the Value Lodge (2000 SW 13th Street), prompting the execution of a search warrant on June 26. Multiple electronic devices were confiscated.

After receiving a Miranda warning, Bryan allegedly claimed he lacked an email account but later stated he was using a relative’s account, which was reportedly employed to set up the Flingster account. Bryan allegedly insisted the Flingster account wasn’t his but verified that the profile picture was of a female relative, though the profile indicated “male” and the login and registration IP addresses traced to the Value Lodge. Bryan was reportedly resolute that the Flingster account did not belong to his relative.

The family member came to the scene and reportedly said she let Bryan use her email account and password because he wasn’t allowed to have one. She said she had never heard of Flingster but confirmed that the profile picture was from her Google account.

Bryan was arrested for six violations related to providing sexual offender registration information on June 26.

Detectives reportedly found 148 CSAM images on one of his cell phones, including images of pre-pubescent and pubescent juvenile victims, both male and female. The Flingster website was also reportedly bookmarked on the cell phone.

Bryan has been charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. He has 10 felony convictions (non-violent) and is on probation in a 2021 child pornography case following a four-year prison sentence; he was released in July 2024. Judge Kristine Van Vorst added $1.3 million in bail to the $300,000 bail on the previous charges; he is also being held without bail until the probation violation charge is resolved.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.