Another eastern Idaho man charged with possessing and sending child pornography
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REXBURG — A 30-year-old man is behind bars after police say he knowingly sent child pornography to multiple people.
Ryan Lynn Barnes is charged with four felony counts of knowingly distributing child sexually exploitative material.
His alleged crime is certainly not the first of its kind in eastern Idaho. Including this article, EastIdahoNews.com has published 40 stories since Jan. 1 about individuals in eastern Idaho being charged for possessing, creating and distributing child pornography. Thirty-eight of the suspects are men.
Details of this case
Court documents say on Aug. 27, a deputy with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), that someone with an Idaho IP address had uploaded child pornography to KIK, a messaging app.
Deputies were able to connect the email address from the KIK account to Barnes.
Police reports say Barnes sent at least four videos of child pornography to other users on KIK. The children in the videos are reportedly being forced to engage in sexual acts, and range between five and 12-years-old.
On Wednesday, a warrant was served at Barnes home in Rexburg, and he was taken to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office for an interview. During the interview, Barnes allegedly admitted he owned the email and KIK accounts where deputies discovered child pornography.
He also reportedly admitted to possessing child pornography and sending it to others through group and private chats. According to police reports, Barnes said he “received and sent approximately over 100 videos or images of child pornography with other users.”
Deputies say Barnes admitted to viewing child pornography weekly and “more often than legal pornography.” Barnes was then arrested and booked into the Madison County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 20. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Though Barnes has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.