Florida backup quarterback Jalen Kitna was arrested Wednesday on two counts of distribution of child exploitation material and three counts of possession of child pornography.
Kitna, the 19-year-old son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, was arrested by the Gainesville Police Department and booked into the Alachua County jail at 3:20 p.m. ET. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday morning to hear the charges against him, the GPD said.
He has been suspended indefinitely from the football program.
“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.”
According to a news release from the Gainesville Police Department, police 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, a social media platform.
Police allege that an investigation revealed Kitna was the probable owner of the Discord account.
The Gainesville Police Department said Kitna was interviewed by officers and that he told them he thought the images he shared were “legal” because he found them online. Police say they searched Kitna’s electronic devices and found three more images of child sexual abuse material.
A redshirt freshman, Kitna appeared in four games this season, completing 10 of 14 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown.