A Florida man handed his father over to police after he allegedly found disturbing images of child pornography on his phone while trying to fix his disabled Google account.
The grandfather, labeled a “sick psycho pedophile,” had almost 1,000 illicit images of innocent children – girls as young as five – saved on his phone.
On December 3, 2017, friends rallied around Gene Follin, now 63, who had open heart surgery after suffering a heart attack.
“In his home he is a loving father and grandfather, often sharing stories, pictures, and visits with his wonderful family,” writes the organizer of the GoFundMe, which was created to provide financial support while the restaurant worker recovered from surgery.
The post continues, “In the hearts of those closest to Geno he is irreplaceable. He is constantly running around trying to help those he cares about, even when it is most inconvenient for him to do so. He is loyal, loving, compassionate, dependable, and kind.”
The campaign raised $2,325 of its 5,000 goal, supporting the father of three sons, Tyler, Jared, and Christian, and three grandchildren, Zackory Wade, Rylan Andrew, and Emma Mercy.
But the impression “those lucky enough to be in his circle” had of the man was about to change dramatically.
Flagged Google account
In September 2024, Follin was locked out of his Gmail account and asked his 30-year-old son Jared for some help. While Jared, a senior planner at Hillsborough County, Florida, tried to restore his dad’s Google account, he found something horrifying.
“His son Jared Follin informed me he discovered child pornography on Gene’s cellphone, after Gene needed help accessing his email due to getting disabled for sexual explicit images of children,” according to the affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun.
The New York Post reports that the shocked son allegedly found nearly 1,000 files of child pornography on his dad’s phone, which was disabled by Google for uploading illicit images of children to its Google Photos folder.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children then tipped off the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force and it was later discovered the account belonged to the Kenneth City grandfather.
Disturbing images
On January 28, 2025, Follin, who confessed to “saving child pornography” when questioned by police, was arrested for possession of child pornography.
The affidavit says that investigators found 952 files containing child pornography and child erotica, uploaded to the account between March 13, 2023, and September 10, 2024.
Some of the images were of girls as young as five to eight years old.
The Missouri native was released from custody after posting a $100,000 bond, according to Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office charge report. Each of the 20 second degree felony charges hold a maximum prison term of 15 years.
‘Sick psycho pedophile’
Jared hasn’t spoken publicly of his creepy father’s crimes, but his Facebook account has become a portal for public opinion.
In a July 10, 2024, Facebook post that’s captioned, “Feeling thankful for all the friends and family in my life. Here’s to my 30s!” some online users voiced their opinions on the father, who is seen in several of the images.
“Sad you have to deal with a sick psycho pedophile for a father. Thankfully you turned his dirty disgusting a** in. What a horrible thing to go through. Praying for your family such a sad thing for you and your family to go through,” writes one user.
Others offered their support, praising the son for reporting his own dad.
“Though this probably was extremely hard for you, you potentially saved the innocence of a little girl or even many from something escalating more than just possession of photos. It may not seem like much with how many are out there, but I promise, so many are appreciative of your actions,” shares a second netizen.
Another adds, “You are a good man. You did the right thing, and I am proud of you.”
What do you think of the son doing the right thing and turning in his dad? Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can hear from others.
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