The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said that a former part-time Pensacola police officer is facing dozens of felony charges as a result of a state and federal investigation into digital contraband.
Matthew Baxter, 47, of Pensacola, was arrested without incident on October 26 and put into the Escambia County Jail. State police arrested Baxter as part of a statewide operation to track down and jail people who target minors and disseminate illegal materials.
According to police, the case against Baxter stemmed from a separate investigation that began in October 2026, when officials detained him on allegations of carrying controlled medications without a prescription. During the investigation, authorities took numerous of Baxter’s electronic devices for forensic examination.
An examination of those devices revealed many digital files portraying child sexual assault, as well as 30 recordings of sexual activities with animals. Investigators also discovered images that Baxter had shot of unidentified people in other bathrooms.
Following the forensic examination, FDLE agents charged Baxter with four charges of possessing child sexual abuse material, 30 counts of sexual conduct involving animals, four counts of digital voyeurism, and two counts of using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement and the United States Marshals Service supported the FDLE in the arrest.
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