Cocoa Man Arrested On 175 Counts Of Child Pornography

By  //  May 23, 2014

Suspect Allegedly Lured Minors With Beer, Marijuana

ABOVE VIDEO: Barry Gill Vest was arrested on 175 counts of Child Pornography, involving 125 children. 

BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA —  Cocoa Police arrested Barry Gill Vest and charged with him lewd and lascivious molestation, contributing to the delinquency of minors and delivering drug paraphernalia to minors.

Cocoa Police arrested Barry Gill Vest and charged with him lewd and lascivious molestation, contributing to the delinquency of minors and delivering drug paraphernalia to minors. (Cocoa Police image)
Cocoa Police arrested Barry Gill Vest and charged with him lewd and lascivious molestation, contributing to the delinquency of minors and delivering drug paraphernalia to minors. (Cocoa Police image)

According to Cocoa Police’s public information officer Barbara Matthews, police had received several complaints from residents in the area of Gill’s apartment advising that it appeared that Gill was trying to take photos and videos of children.

Vest’s apartment is on the second floor and has a direct view of a common area and the pool.  As police were looking into these allegations, two juveniles from a juvenile center contacted police to report Vest.

ABOVE VIDEO: Cocoa Police Public Information Officer Barbara Matthews talks about the arrests of Barry Gill Vest who has been charged lewd and lascivious molestation, contributing to the delinquency of minors and delivering drug paraphernalia to minors.

In this case,  Vest, using a police scanner app for his cell phone, listened to the police radio, and when juveniles left the center he went into the area, told the juveniles that the police were looking for them and took them back to his apartment.

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Neighbors expressed concern about Vest watching their kids in the apartment complex swimming pool. (SpaceCoastDaily.com image)

Once back at his apartment he offered them marijuana and alcohol and performed lewd acts on one of them.

After this April arrest, Vest bonded out of jail and returned to his apartment.

After the initial arrest, police were able to get a search warrant for the computers and electronic devices in his apartment, and with the assistance of BCSO’s Computer Forensics Unit, investigators discovered 125 child pornography photos.  After the photos were found police obtained a warrant for Vest’s arrest.

Vest was arrested today at approximately 11:45 a.m. at his apartment and is being charged with 175 counts related to the child pornography.  (125 images – some of those images contained more than one victim).  Vest will be held on $175,000 bond.

According to The GuardianVest was arrested in 1993 for sodomizing a 14-year old male victim and was sentenced to serve six years in prison followed by ten years of probation. At that time, Vest was not required to register as a sex offender, since he was convicted prior to the enactment of the registration law.

Police believe that Vest has more victims in the area and is asking anyone with any information to contact Detective Debra Titkanich at 321-637-6391.

ABOVE VIDEO: Amy Hughes talks to the media about being neighbors with Barry Gill Vest, who has been charged lewd and lascivious molestation, contributing to the delinquency of minors and delivering drug paraphernalia to minors.