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Last updated on Friday, July 12, 2013
(WARRICK CO.) - A Warrick County man arrested on federal child pornography charges has been released from jail.
WFIE reports, according to a police affidavit, 24 year-old Joshua Walker has been released from jail.
Walker was arrested in June and charged with possession and distribution of sexually explicit material involving minors. Now, officials say those victims could be local children.
An agent with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force had been monitoring Walker's shared network and says he was sharing hundreds of photos, many of which were already identified child porn in the FBI database.
On June 28, the FBI raided Walker's home. An affidavit says Walker agreed to go to the FBI office and answer questions.
According to the affidavit, Walker told agents he has had a problem with child pornography since he was 18. Documents show Walker admitted to touching a two-year-old while he was changing her diaper and to touching a 12-year-old girl he was swimming with.
Walker told investigators on several occasions he took pictures of children in public places with his phone, some as recent as a week before his arrest.
US Attorney Joseph Hogsett says they do not grade the level of heinous activity in the area of child pornography, but if they did, he says Walker would be among the most disturbing.
"It's one thing for someone to receive, possess and maybe even transmit explicit photos, sexually explicit photos of children. It's another thing all together when they cross over another line and begin to act out on that predilection as in this case where it is alleged he was inappropriately touching at least two minor children," Hogsett said.
Officials say this is still an on-going investigation. They are working to determine where the photos of the children were taken. According to the affidavit, the most recent photo Walker told investigators he had taken was at a restaurant.
Conditions of Walker's release: he cannot violate laws, must appear for court dates, must submit DNA sample if asked and notify court if he moves.
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