Prosecutors didn’t just throw the book at former Island Grill employee Owen Hagan.
They added weight on their second toss.
Assistant State Attorney Casey Cahall of the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office filed a memorandum Nov. 29 with the Manatee County Clerk of Court enhancing 26 third-degree felony charges for possession of child pornography against Hagan, 27, of Bradenton, into second-degree felonies.
Cahall wrote that the charges were supposed to be filed as second-degree felonies but, “due to system input from the clerk,” they were filed instead as third-degree felonies.
The correction adds weight to the stack of charges against Hagan, who Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested in June following an investigation into suspicious activity on his personal computer.
The investigation began in February, when DropBox Inc. reported suspicious computer uploads to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which then reported the tip to the MCSO.
Detectives used an IP address associated with the suspect’s DropBox Inc. user account to subpoena the individual’s internet and email providers for more information, which helped them identify Hagan as the user.
Police contacted Hagan March 17 at his mother’s home, where he was living, and confiscated his phone for forensic analysis.
A digital forensics program, Cellebrite Reader, found Hagan had accessed DropBox Inc. at several points matching the reported uploads, searched the internet multiple times for child pornography and visited websites known to contain the material.
The program reportedly recovered 11 images and 15 videos from Hagan’s phone that authorities claim include depictions of sexual conduct by a child.
MCSO deputies arrested Hagan June 29 and booked him into the Manatee County jail, where he remained under a $650,000 bond as of Dec. 16.
Judge Frederick Mercurio of the 12th Judicial Circuit ordered Nov. 29 that if Hagan posted bond, he was to be enrolled in Manatee County’s supervised
pretrial release services program with several stipulations.
However, senior probation officer Sue Uscanga filed a document Dec. 2 noting Hagan would not be screened for the program due to the charges against him.
If convicted, potential sentences for second-degree felonies include up to 15 years of prison or probation and a fine of up to $10,000 for each charge.
A case management hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.