Warning: this article mentions and includes details of child sex crimes that may be disturbing to some readers.
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Indiana State Police detectives arrested a Columbus man on several child pornography charges after a six-month investigation
IUSTV News has a policy to refrain from naming suspects until official charges are filed by a county prosecutor.
The investigation into the 56-year-old man began after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a non-profit that works to combat child sex offenses.
The tip indicated a social media application discovered a user was sharing images of possible child pornography to others on the platform.
ISP served a search warrant for the man on Wednesday, after which he was jailed on felony charges of distribution and possession of child pornography.
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Child exploitation is an act in which a child is being groomed to take sexually explicit images and/or ultimately meet face-to-face with someone for sexual purposes, according to NCMEC.
In 2024, through October 5, NCMEC has received more than 456,000 reports of online enticement; a number that has increased by more than 300% since 2021.
NCMEC says the most common tactics used to entice children include:
- Engaging in sexual conversation/role-playing as a grooming method, rather than a goal.
- Asking the child for sexually explicit images of themselves or mutually sharing images.
- Developing a rapport through compliments, discussing shared interests or “liking” their online post, also known as grooming.
- Sending or offering sexually explicit images of themselves.
- Pretending to be younger.
- Offering an incentive such as a gift card, alcohol, drugs, lodging, transportation or food.
If you believe someone is the victim of child sexual exploitation or solicitation, you can submit a report to the NCMEC CyberTipline or to local police.
