Right-wing film critic who lauded dubious sex-trafficking film accused of molestation

A right-wing film critic who lauded a dubious film about sex trafficking — calling it a "call to action" — was arrested and charged with molesting a child, court records showed.

Aaron Craig Gleason, 39, of Estero, Florida, was arrested last week and jailed in the state on a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior: molestation of a victim less than 12 years of age by an offender 18 years of age or older. He was released on $75,000 bond.

Gleason's arrest came two years after he wrote for the conservative outlet The Federalistthat Tim Ballard's film "Sound of Freedom" should "inspire us to action."

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"The current culture war is all about children. Children are the most important thing in the world. We cannot allow our world to be dominated by child sexual abuse. We must help. To quote the film, 'God’s children are not for sale,'" he said.

Gleason's profile said he teaches philosophy full-time, with his work appearing in other outlets including The Daily Wire.

Christopher Saul, publisher of local news outlet Mid Bay News, wrote Thursday that Gleason's profiles on LinkedIn and Facebook showed he taught Bible at Rocky Bayou Christian School and was a middle school soccer coach.

"Sound of Freedom" purports to share the story of a government agent who brings down a child sex abuse ring in Colombia. Rolling Stone has called the movie a "QAnon-tinged thriller," referring to a right-wing conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump is fighting a cabal of elites who are satanic pedophiles.