MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — An elderly Martin County man was arrested on child sex abuse charges last week, and investigators say there could be more victims.
Earle Louis Hamm, 82, of Jensen Beach, was arrested Oct. 28.
WATCH BELOW: 82-year-old man accused of molesting 15-year-old
According to an arrest affidavit from the Martin County Sheriff's Office, on Oct. 27, a deputy investigated a report of a woman's missing 15-year-old son.
The woman said she was concerned for her son, so she unlocked his phone and found disturbing pictures and videos. The affidavit said one video taken on Sept. 25, 2025, showed a juvenile's "hands and feet bound with duct tape and an older male (possible name of Lou)" engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct.
The arrest report said that after investigators seized the phone, they found multiple inappropriate videos involving Hamm.
Using the videos, investigators tracked down where the suspect lived and went to his house located on Northeast Dixie Highway near Wright Avenue, to interview him.
The report said they asked Hamm if he knew the boy was underage, and he replied, "He's almost 16. I think he's 15 now." However, he denied that he ever showed porn to minors.
Hamm was later arrested and taken to the Martin County jail.
Sheriff John Budensiek told WPTV reporter Cassandra Garcia that the video was very graphic but helped them make the arrest.
"(Hamm) didn't admit to anything that we couldn't prove, so as we would go through the video and confront him, he would admit to it, but we know, based on when the video got cut off and the other interviews we did, that there's probably more (victims) out there that we don't know," Budensiek said.
The sheriff said other children were in the home while multiple videos were recorded.
"We don't know all the events that led up to this, but we know he's preying on troubled teens," Budensiek said.
Hamm faces three charges:
- Use or allow a child to engage in sex
- Sell, rent, loan, or give obscene material to a minor
- Lewd or lascivious conduct by an adult against a victim younger than 16 years old
He is being held at the Martin County Jail on a $800,000 bond.
Budensiek urged anyone with information about the case or if they are victims to come forward.
