An investigation sparked by eight CyberTips received from a national agency led to the arrest of a Kokomo man on eight counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday morning.
In September 2023, investigators with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reportedly began an investigation after receiving eight CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children pertaining to child exploitation materials. The CyberTips were reportedly generated by Google and included over 130 files depicting child sexual abuse material.
The task force conducted an investigation that determined that Justin Beatty, 41, of Kokomo was the Google user suspected of uploading the content, authorities say, which led to the obtaining of a search warrant on Wednesday, Oct. 30 for the 700 block on Sante Fe Boulevard in Kokomo where Beatty was suspected to be residing.
Sheriff’s Office investigators were assisted by the Kokomo Police Department and the Indiana State Police ICAC division to conduct a search that reportedly uncovered numerous electronic devices that were seized from the residence. Investigators reported that at least one device contained media files confirmed to be child sex abuse material.
Beatty was reportedly taken into custody for eight counts of possession of child pornography, level six felony.
The case remains under investigation. The Howard County Sheriff’s Office issued a reminder that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.