Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna sets up to throw a pass during the second half of an early-season blowout against Eastern Washington. The backup's stint with the Gators, however, has ended. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP, Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP)
Hours after his release from jail, UF quarterback Jalen Kitna is no longer on the Gators’ roster after his recent arrest for child pornography.
Kitna posted an $80,000 bond and left Alachua County Jail on Thursday evening, a day after he was arrested on five charges related to child pornography that included an image of a prepubescent female and adult male.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Judge Meshon T. Rawls set the bond amount and also denied Kitna future Internet access or unsupervised contact with minors under the age of 18.
The 19-year-old returned home with his family to Burleson, Texas, where he was a 3-star recruit who signed with the Gators in 2021.
Kitna appeared Thursday in the county courthouse, where his hearing was shown a closed-circuit video feed. Kitna was visibly distraught during the 75-minute proceeding, at one point sobbing into his hands as his mother Jennifer asked Rawls to release her son to their custody.
Jennifer and Jon Kitna, a former NFL quarterback, promised to supervise their son back at their Texas home and accompany him to Gainesville for future court appearances.
Kitna faces two second-degree felony charges for distribution of child exploitation material, each carrying a bond of $25,000, and three counts of possession of child pornography, third-degree felonies each demanding a $10,000 bond.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service