A Naples dentist who faces dozens of child pornography possession and transmission charges will remain in custody despite appealing to the judge for bond three years after his arrest.
Stephen Layton, 71, faces 200 charges related to the possession and transmission of child pornography.
In a motion filed May 26 seeking emergency medical release with a temporary bond, Layton’s defense attorney, Joshua Faett, argued the accused dentist has suffered from a heart condition for the last decade, and in the span of 45 days he lost consciousness twice.
The motion also says that Layton has historically maintained an active lifestyle — running, lifting weights and playing basketball — and has continued to do so while jailed.
More than 1,000 files found, records show
Collier Circuit Judge John McGowan denied the motion on June 22.
According to an arrest report from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Layton was arrested following a July 21, 2022, tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Dropbox reported the cyber tips, according to the affidavit. They provided more than 1,000 files depicting children between the ages of 5 and 16 engaging in lewd and lascivious behavior.
Investigators determined the transmission and possession happened at Layton’s home, as well as his workplace.
Collier County sheriff’s deputies said the transmission and possession happened between July 7 and July 10 of last year.
Layton confessed he was the only one accessing the Dropbox account, the report said. He admitted the account was deactivated but did not know why. He then created a new account.
He said he had been in possession of the child pornography since about 2014. Layton told deputies the files were saved on an external storage hard drive inside a drawer in his office at his home.
When authorities showed him images they had recovered, he acknowledged viewing and downloading the files, the report said.
At the time of his arrest, Layton was listed as a dentist at Tamiami Trail Dental Care, 1250 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 107.
Layton is next due in court Aug. 4 for a pretrial conference.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@usatodayco.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Judge denies bond for Naples dentist accused of child porn
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
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By Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
