In a case St. Cloud Police officials call "truly disturbing," a man was arrested Friday on charges that he reportedly possessed videos and images depicting sexual acts with animals, including his own dogs.
Frank Louis Mitchell, 41, of St. Cloud, has been charged with one count of animal cruelty/sexual contact with an animal, nine counts of animal cruelty/possession of images/videos depicting sexual acts with an animal and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He remains held in the Osceola County Jail this weekend on a $17,000 bond. No court dates have been set as of Sunday.
St. Cloud Police say detectives from the St. Cloud Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, working in partnership with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, took Mitchell into custody at his Jersey Avenue home without incident Friday. They say their investigation began in September after police received a cyber tip regarding the upload of illegal material on a social media platform.
Detectives identified Mitchell following "a comprehensive digital review" and the execution of multiple search warrants. During the investigation, police say they found numerous videos and images depicting sexual acts with animals, including his own dogs, along with evidence of unlawful online communication and possession of obscene content.
Two dogs were removed from Mitchell's home and are now in the care of Osceola County Animal Services.
"Our department is committed to protecting all members of our community," St. Cloud Police Chief Doug Goerke said, "including vulnerable populations and animals, and holding offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
St. Cloud Police say the case remains an active investigation with additional charges pending. Anyone who can provide additional information is urged to contact St. Cloud Police 407-891-6700 and reference Report #25-003809, or call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS, where they can remain anonymous.
Court records show Mitchell's only previous criminal charge was one for misdemeanor drug possession in 2010.
