Bedford man charged with 25 felony counts of child porn possession

BEDFORD, Va. – A Bedford man is facing 25 felony charges of possession of child porn, authorities said.

Mark Staite, 54, of Bedford was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s Service after an investigation into a sexual assault case in November of 2022.

Throughout the course of the investigation, authorities said they discovered that the suspect in the original case could have child porn.

With help from the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, multiple devices were seized from a search warrant, then forensically examined and authorities discovered what they described as a “large amount” of child porn.

Staite was then taken into custody on March 15 and was extradited back to Bedford County on March 30, where he now awaits trial.