Gainesville Police and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrested 21-year-old UF political science senior Tyler Do on Tuesday for viewing and distributing child pornography.
GPD received a cyber tip that an online user was trying to share explicit material involving minors through an internet platform in April 2025.
Detectives determined the account belonged to Do, who was a suspect in two other similar cases in 2022, according to the arrest report.
Do served on the Student Senate for UF Student Government for two months in May 2025 and has been affiliated with the Vision Party as a campus ambassador since August 2024, according to his LinkedIn.
Do has no affiliation with SG, according to an SG spokesperson.
“This matter is being addressed by the appropriate authorities and is unrelated to our work,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “Student Government remains committed to upholding the law, the student honor code and the values of integrity and accountability within our community.”
Do remains enrolled at the university as of Sept. 17.
After his arrest, Do told police he was locked out of his account in April and that he got an email telling him it was shut down for illegal activity, but he didn’t know why.
However, he later told police he was going through a “dark time,” according to the arrest report.
According to a GPD Facebook post, Do said he hadn’t intentionally viewed child pornography since April 2024. He said he accidentally saw child pornography on X while looking for adult pornography since 2024, according to the arrest report.
Do is being charged with one count of distribution and one count of possession of child pornography, as well as unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
All three charges are considered felonies.
He is currently being held at the Alachua County Jail with his bail set at $100,000.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies students serving as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice beat reporter. She previously served as a copy editor. She spends her free time running, traveling, having movie nights and going on random side quests with friends.
