SCOTT CO. – A Cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) led to the arrest of a Scottsburg man for possession of child pornography and child exploitation.
Detectives with the Indiana State Police – Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force in Sellersburg began an investigation in July 2023 after receiving a cyber tip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The tip indicated an unknown person used the Snapchat application to upload images depicting child sexual abuse material.
Using the information in the tip, investigators could identify and locate the residence where the images were uploaded. On January 23, 2024, Indiana State Police ICAC detectives, with the assistance of the Sellersburg Post All Crimes Policing squad, went to the residence and conducted a voluntary interview with 27-year-old Joseph Richard Sullivan.
As the investigation continued, ICAC detectives obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence. As a result of the investigation, Sullivan was arrested on three counts of possession and/or distribution of child pornography. Each count is a Level 4 felony.
The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to exploit or entice children sexually, and the Indiana State Police oversees the task force.
The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website. To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the Internet or other electronic means, please contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency.
ICAC Taskforce website.
