Formal charges have been filed against a local man accused of collecting child pornography videos.
James G. Crouch, 24, of 2215 Sims Court, has been charged in Bartholomew Circuit Court with four counts of possession of child pornography, which each count listed as a Level 5 felony.
If convicted of all charges, Crouch could received a prison term of between four to 24 years in prison, as well as fines of up to $40,000.
Evidence indicated images of child pornography have been downloaded on Crouch’s cell phone since November, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday by the Indiana State Police.
It was in January that a detective assigned to the Indiana Crimes Against Children Unit received a cyber tip regarding Crouch through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the affidavit stated.
During questioning on March 3, Crouch told investigators he was receiving various images of child pornography, and was looking at those videos just one day prior to the search, according to the affidavit.
After formal charges were filed, Crouch’s bond was raised from $55,000 to $155,000, or 10% cash, jail officials said.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
