Following a lengthy investigation into the distribution and possession of child pornography, the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit arrested Tuesday, July 30th, a Bedford man.
Indiana State Police ICAC Detective Robert Whyte and members of the Indiana ICAC Task Force served a residential search warrant at the male subject’s residence. Whyte initiated an investigation and identified the suspect as Joshua Shane Carter, Age 43, of Bedford, after receiving two cybertip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization providing services nationwide to families and law enforcement officials relating to the prevention of abduction and sexual exploitation of children. During Whyte’s investigation, Homeland Security Investigations of North Carolina made contact and advised their agency had initiated an investigation into Carter after he had shared child pornography on Discord. Discord is an instant messaging social media platform that allows users to communicate with other users through voice calls, video calls, text messaging, and other media.
Whyte with assistance from the ICAC Task Force, and the INVICTUS Task Force which includes North Carolina HSI, and the North Carolina Randolph County and Alamance County sheriff’s departments, served the search warrant at Carter’s residence Tuesday morning. Carter was arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Jail where his custody was transferred, and he has been charged with the following:
- Three (3) counts of Distribution of Child Pornography under 12 years of age, a Level 4 Felony
- Seven (7) counts of Possession of Child Pornography, a Level 5 Felony
Additional charges from North Carolina are pending.
The Indiana ICAC Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. 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 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: https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/
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