Jalen Kitna, a Florida backup quarterback was arrested Wednesday on child porn charges after the Gainesville Police Department executed a search warrant at his residence after it received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had distributed an image of child sexual abuse material on Discord.

An investigation revealed that the account belonged to Kitna. After the police searched Kitna’s electronic devices, they found three more images of child sexual abuse material.

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The charges against him include two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography. The 198-year-old was arrested and booked into the Alachua County jail. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday morning.

Following his arrest, he has been suspended indefinitely from the football program.

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“We are shocked and saddened to hear of the news involving Jalen Kitna,” the University of Florida Athletic Association said in a statement. “These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior.”

After he was interviewed by officers, Kitna admitted he should not have shared the photos but added that he thought the images he shared were “legal since he found them online.”

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Who is Jalen Kitna?

Jalen Kitna is a redshirt freshman from Burleson, Texas. His hometown is Tacoma, Washington. He is the son of former NFL quarterback, Jon Kitna. 

Appeared in four games this season. Made his collegiate debut against Eastern Washington on October 2. He rushed for 6 yards on the first attempt at Florida State on November 25. He is rated the No. 44 quarterback in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

 John committed to the Gators in May of 2020. He chose Florida over offers from Boston College, Georgia Tech, Liberty, and Tennessee, among others.

He spent his junior season at Frisco Reedy in 2018. He played his sophomore season at Phoenix, Arizona.