Former University of Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna took a plea deal in Gainesville this week, successfully dropping child pornography charges stemming from a 2022 incident.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, on Wednesday, Kitna entered into a plea agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Alachua County, removing five felony child pornography charges.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Susan Miller-Jones sentenced Kitna to six months probation for each count without imposing a fine. If Kitna complies with the agreement’s terms, he may be released from the second six-month probationary period.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Kitna was arrested in 2022 after the Gainesville Police said he shared two images depicting child pornography via his Discord account. He was also accused of possessing three similar images on an electronic device.
The 19-year-old son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna told investigators that he “remembered sharing the two images but believed them to be ‘legal” since he found them online.”
“Kitna advised that he realized he should not have shared those two images, based on the reaction from the other Discord user that he shared them with,” police said.
Kitna was subsequently booted from the football team.
Kitna appeared in court with Gainesville attorney Ron Kozlowski, while Assistant State Attorney Brooke King accepted the plea deal.
“I want to start off by apologizing to my family, my friends and those that care about me,” he said while reading a statement to the court. “Their support through this whole ordeal has meant a lot to me. The hardest thing about this whole process has been seeing how it’s affected them.
“The valuable lessons that I’ve learned through this whole deal have been very helpful. I’m looking forward to applying those things and moving forward.”
Darry Lloyd, the chief investigator for the state attorney’s office, told the Sentinel that three out of four images depicted “post-pubescent girls.” Investigators were unable to reach a conclusion regarding the fourth image.
“Looking at another teenager is not abnormal behavior for a 19-year-old. Criminal behavior would involve a sex act, whereas this was merely an image,” Lloyd said. “It’s not like he was collecting images.”
A comprehensive forensic examination of Kitna’s computer and mobile devices yielded no further evidence. According to Lloyd, a psychiatric evaluation confirmed that there was nothing deviant about Kitna’s conduct.
Following Kitna’s statement, Judge Miller-Jones spoke directly to the defendant and wished him luck in his future endeavors.
“My hope is that we never cross paths again,” she said. “Go do something great with the rest of your life.”
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Feature Photo: Police Handout]