Man arrested for child pornography

Detectives from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office have charged an East County man with eight counts of child pornography.

Richard Chaikin, 50, was arrested Jan. 19 without incident at his residence, 5661 Long Common Circle, and booked into the Sarasota County Jail.

A Manatee County Sheriff's Office report states the investigation began Jan. 10, when a detective posing as a 13-year-old girl was contacted online by Chaikin. The defendant then solicited sexual activity with the detective and sent live obscene images of himself to the detective.

Authorities are continuing to investigate and may add more charges against Chaikin, the report states.

The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is assisting with the investigation.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].