Former Safety Harbor Poet Laureate Facing More Child Porn Charges

SAFETY HARBOR, FL — Author, former poet laureate for Safety Harbor and Saint Leo University associate English professor Steven Basil Kistulentz is facing additional child porn charges following his initial arrest Tuesday on two counts of intentionally viewing child pornography.

On Thursday, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office announced that Kistulentz, 55, has been charged with 10 more counts of possession of child porn after a forensic analysis of Kistulentz's cell phone was completed. The sheriff's digital forensics unit said it found 10 more images.

Saint Leo University spokeswoman Marie Cirelli Thornsberry said Kistulentz has been placed on administrative leave and has had his access to the university suspended following the revelation that the 55-year-old author and educator had been charges with two counts of intentionally viewing child porn.

"He will have no contact with students," Thornsberry said, adding, "We are awaiting further information as this matter is being investigated."

Saint Leo has also removed Kistulentz's name from the university's directory of faculty and staff in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub said Kistulentz was also removed from the role of poet laureate of Safety Harbor.

"The position was a volunteer one and, once we found out about the arrest, he was immediately removed from this role," Ayoub said.

An investigation into Kistulentz was launched after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the sheriff's office that material featuring sexually exploited children was being uploaded via the social media/messenger application, Kik.

Pinellas sheriff's detectives were able to trace the Kik acount to Kistulentz.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for Kistulentz's home at 404 7th St. N. in Safety Harbor and, during a search, seized electronic devices belonging to Kistulentz.

During an interview with Kistulentz, detectives say he admitted to opening the Kik account and to receiving and sending files containing child pornography.

Kistulentz works at Saint Leo University as the director of the graduate program in creative writing and an associate professor of English.

In his biography, he's also listed as the author of two novels and two collections of poetry.

His latest novel, "Mating Calls of the Dead," was published on April 23, 2021, by Black Lawrence Press. He also wrote the novel, "Panorama," published by Little, Brown & Co. in 2018.

His poetry collections include "Little Black Daydream," published by the University of Akron Press in 2012, and "The Luckless Age," published by Red Hen Press in 2010, which won the Benjamin Saltman Award.

According to his Linkedin page, he was born in Washington, D.C., earned a bachelor of arts in English from the College of William and Mary, a master of arts degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University, a master of fine arts degree in fiction writing from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in English from Florida State University.

Prior to his employment with Saint Leo University in July 2015, Kistulentz is listed as director of the master's fine arts program at the University of Tampa from July 2013 to May 2015.

He remains in Pinellas County Jail on $220,000 bail. Attempts by Patch to contact Kistulentz for comment were unsuccessful.

Detectives say they haven't been able to identify any of the children in the images at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this case should contact Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Crimes Against Children Unit Detective J.Hanna at 727-582-6724 or [email protected].

See related story: Saint Leo University Educator Accused Of Viewing Child Porn