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Florida football player, son of former Detroit Lions QB, arrested on child porn charges

Jalen Kitna facing 5 charges

Jalen Kitna is accused of possessing and distributing child pornography. (Alachua County Jail/Getty Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 19-year-old University of Florida football player -- and the son of a former Detroit Lions quarterback -- has been arrested on child porn charges, according to police.

Officers with the Gainesville Police Department said they served a search warrant Wednesday (Nov. 30) in the 2300 block of SW 38th Drive.

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Investigators said two sexually abusive images of children had been shared on Discord from a user inside a home on SW 38th Drive. The user was identified as Jalen Kitna.

Kitna, 19, is the son of former Lions quarterback Jon Kitna. He is a redshirt freshman quarterback on the Florida Gators football team.

Detectives interviewed Kitna at his home and he admitted to sharing the images, according to authorities. He said he believed them to be “legal” since he found them online.

Officers said Kitna told them he should not have shared the images based on the reaction of the other Discord user. He said his Discord account had been deactivated shortly afterward and he assumed someone had reported him. Then, he received an email from Discord stating that he had violated the terms of service.

Kitna’s electronic devices were seized during the search. There were three more sexually abusive pictures of children on those devices, police said.

He was arrested on two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.

Jalen Kitna (Alachua County Jail)

About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Digital Executive Producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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