Brooksville Man Arrested After Bestiality Material Found in Tip Investigation

By Staff Writer — The Brooksville Signal

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A 46-year-old man, Walter Jessie Moore III, was arrested on September 23, 2025, after investigators say he was found to possess bestiality material during an inquiry that began with a tip about child pornography. 

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office says the original lead came on July 9, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received information from a social media platform that child pornography may have been involved. 

With probable cause established, detectives obtained a search warrant for Moore’s home on Winter Street. During the execution of the warrant, authorities say Moore admitted he owned the account identifiers tied to the investigation and was the sole user. He also recognized himself in three “selfie-style” images, one of which was used to verify his identity for entry into a pornographic group chat. 

Officials showed Moore four sanitized images depicting bestiality. Moore said he recognized one screenshot from a video but claimed not to recall the others. He also acknowledged being a member of five to six pornography group chats and said that in those groups he had seen files containing both child pornography (which he said he “passed by”) and files containing bestiality content. 

Moore was arrested and booked into the Hernando County Detention Center. He is charged with four counts of sexual activities involving animals and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony. His bond has been set at $25,000. 

The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation is ongoing, and more information may emerge as authorities continue to follow up leads.