A dentist in Florida accused of having more than 1,000 files of child pornography on his devices has entered a plea the day his trial was scheduled to begin, according to a story published on October 13 in Naples Daily News.
Dr. Stephen Layton, 71, has entered a plea of no contest on October 12 to more than 100 counts related to the possession and electronic transmission of child pornography files. A no-contest plea means Layton accepts the conviction and possible punishment without explicitly admitting guilt.
Layton, who was a dentist at the now-closed Tamiami Trail Dental Care in Naples, FL, has been in jail since 2024. He is set to be sentenced in December, according to the story.
In July 2022, Layton was arrested following a tip from the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators determined the transmission and possession happened at Layton's home and his workplace.
Authorities claimed that Layton possessed and transmitted the files in July 2022 via a Dropbox account. He reportedly told police he was the only one who accessed the account, which was deactivated. Layton claimed he didn’t know why it had been deactivated, and he created a new one, according to the story.
Furthermore, Layton allegedly told authorities that he had the files since about 2014. He reportedly admitted to viewing and downloading the files, and he purportedly told authorities the files were saved on an external storage hard drive inside a drawer in his home office, according to the story.
In March 2024, Layton’s bond was revoked after he allegedly had contact with two juvenile boys at a gym. He has been in custody ever since.
