Deputies: New Smyrna man had child porn with girls as young as 4

A man accused of possessing pornographic images of children who appeared to be as young as 4 years old was arrested Friday night at a McDonald’s in New Smyrna Beach.

Jonathan Erb, 33 of New Smyrna Beach, was apprehended at the restaurant by detectives who were conducting surveillance after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the Volusia County Sheriff ’s Office.

Initially, he was taken into custody for driving with a suspended license and marijuana possession; investigators later discovered “numerous” photos and videos in his possession depicting female children who appeared to range in age from 4 to 9 years old, deputies said. The Sheriff’s Office said Erb confessed to making child pornography and identified a child in one of the photographs, which had been taken in New Hampshire last year.

He also confessed to having multiple child-porn videos on his cellphone, deputies said.

Erb was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail. He faces 15 counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison on each count. He was still at the jail Saturday; bail is set at $78,000.

Detectives have not yet identified any local victims, but anyone with information should call the agency’s Child Exploitation Unit at 386-254-1537. The tip that led to Erb’s arrest was submitted via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline, which accepts online tips about sexual exploitation of children and coordinates with law enforcement agencies nationwide. Tips can be submitted at cybertipline.org.

Erb’s arrest came two days after the Sheriff ’s Office got the tip about him, officials said.

Records show his last Volusia arrest was in 2010; he was booked on charges of driving with a suspended or revoked license and giving a false name to law enforcement.