PALM COAST, Fla. – A Palm Coast man arrested in separate narcotics and child exploitation investigations has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to child sexual abuse material charges and resolving multiple drug-related offenses.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Eric Hoover Jr. appeared in court on Aug. 5, where he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of possession of sexual performance by a child. He also entered no contest pleas to possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols sentenced Hoover to eight years in prison on the child sexual abuse material charges and five years on the narcotics convictions. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in a total prison sentence of eight years.
In addition to his prison sentence, Hoover will be required to register as a sex offender and serve five years of sex offender probation following his release.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Hoover was arrested twice in 2025. The first arrest stemmed from a narcotics investigation, while the second followed a child exploitation investigation after investigators discovered child sexual abuse material on his cellphone.
Sheriff Rick Staly credited multiple investigative units for their work on the case.
“These cases were the definition of a team effort, as it started with a narcotics investigation by our Special Investigations Unit, which led to an arrest by our Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit, then another investigation and arrest by our Cyber Crimes Unit and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force after detectives found child sexual abuse material on his phone,” Staly said. “I commend everyone involved in both of these investigations and thank the prosecution for making sure this offender got the prison time he deserved for both trying to peddle poison in our community and exploiting children.”
Hoover is currently being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility while awaiting transfer to the Florida Department of Corrections.