Florida Man Accused Of Making Child Porn Maintained 'Secret Bunker' In His Home, Authorities Say

A dramatic arrest of a Florida man accused of making child porn led to the discovery of an alleged secret bunker at his home, authorities say.

Marty Scott Bass, 57, was approached at his home in DeFuniak Springs on Dec. 16 by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims’ Unit after they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the sheriff’s department stated in a Tuesday press release.

Bass allegedly “came to the door holding a shotgun during the initiation of the search warrant,” the department states. However, he put his weapon down after commands by SWAT team members. He was then quickly detained.

While searching his home, investigators say they discovered a “secret bunker" on the property.

“The bunker’s entrance was disguised as a bench located in the shed adjacent to the home,” the sheriff's department stated. “When lifting the bench, a hole was located leading underground.”

Photo: Walton County Sheriff’s Office

Investigators confiscated Bass’ cell phone, which they forensically downloaded and evaluated.

“Investigators learned the device contained 100 plus images of child pornography, some of which were produced by Bass of children 8 – 10 years of age,” the sheriff’s department alleges.

Bass has been charged with 100 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of the production of child pornography.

He is being held on a $1 million bond, according to online jail records. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer.

Online jail records for Bass also show that the alleged child porn creator was arrested last year on domestic violence charges. He was charged with “domestic battery by strangulation - lost consciousness” as well as one other domestic violence charge in January 2019.