SCOTTSBURG, Ind. — 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 (ISP) – Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force in Sellersburg began an investigation in July 2023 after receiving the cyber tip. It indicated an unknown person used the Snapchat application to upload images depicting child sexual abuse material.
Using the information provided, investigators were able to identify and locate the specific residence where the images were allegedly uploaded. On January 23, ISP-ICAC detectives and the Sellersburg Post All Crimes Policing squad went to the house and conducted a voluntary interview with a resident, later identified as 27-year-old Joseph Richard Sullivan.
Detectives eventually obtained and executed a search warrant for the home. As a result of the investigation, Joseph Richard Sullivan was arrested on three counts of Possession and/or Distribution of Child Pornography. Each count is a Level 4 Felony.
The ICAC Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children, and ISP oversees the task force.
Hoosiers are encouraged to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the NCMEC. You can access that website through the ICAC Task Force website.
To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the Internet or other electronic means, contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency.