HARTFORD CITY, Ind. — A Blackford County man has been accused of accessing online images and videos that showed young children being sexually assaulted by adults.
Matthew D. Ely, 34, Montpelier, is charged in Blackford Circuit Court with three counts of child exploitation, a Level 4 felony carrying up to 12 years in prison.
According to an affidavit, investigators with the Hartford City Police Department and Blackford County Sheriff's Department — members of the Blackford County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force — began a probe that led to Ely's arrest based on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Information allegedly linked videos — one showing an infant being sexually abused — to an email address belonging to Ely.
A search warrant was served at Ely's Montpelier apartment on July 18, resulting in the seizure of cell phones, a plastic bag containing marijuana and a "glass smoking device."
During an interview, the Blackford County man reportedly acknowledged "trading pictures with other (online) users and that nothing sent was produced by him."
Ely was also charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
According to court records, his record includes convictions for fraud and conversion.
In other crime news:
Teen charged : A Grant County teenager has been accused of sexually assaulting an 18-year-old Muncie woman while she was intoxicated.
Harrison Edward Yanis, 18, of Jonesboro, is charged in Delaware Circuit Court 4 with two counts of rape and a single count of sexual battery.
His accuser told Muncie police she believed Yanis had assaulted her on July 15 after "pumping her full" of alcohol.
Investigators said they recovered a T-shirt, believed to be stained with the accuser's blood, in a vehicle parked outside Yanis' home.
The Grant County resident was being held in the Delaware County jail under a $20,000 bond. The rape charges are Level 3 felonies carrying up to 15 years in prison.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Blackford County man charged with child exploitation
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