LAKE CITY, Fla. — A Lake City man, who was already a registered sex offender, was sentenced Monday to 14 years in state prison after pleading guilty to drug and child exploitation charges, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Craig Cleveland Taylor, 53, pleaded guilty in Columbia County Circuit Court on Oct. 5 to trafficking in methamphetamine, sexual activity involving animals, possession of child pornography, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and possession of drug paraphernalia. The meth trafficking charge carries a three-year mandatory minimum sentence.
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He was sentenced the same day and received credit for 291 days already served on one count. The court designated him a sexual predator.
Taylor was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, $418 in court costs, a $550 public defender fee, $100 in prosecution costs and $200 in investigative costs to the sheriff’s office.
The case began Nov. 19, 2025, when detectives received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip said a suspect was downloading child sexual abuse material. Soon after, detectives identified Taylor, authorities said.
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Sheriff’s detectives, working with the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and members of the Multi-Jurisdiction Drug Task Force, arrested him Dec. 19, 2025, and searched the residence that day.
Authorities said Taylor had a large amount of methamphetamine when he was arrested. Investigators also recovered multiple images of child sexual abuse material and illegal images of people engaged in sexual activity with animals.
Anyone with information about the exploitation of children can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the local sheriff’s office.
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