KENTUCKY — A soldier from Burke County and living in Kentucky is facing child pornography charges after a yearlong investigation, according to our news partner the Morganton News Herald.
According to court documents, 23-year-old Chase Bowman-Raines has been charged with three counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The Department of Homeland Security began investigating in June 2019 after its Bowling Green office got a tip about the distribution of child pornography linked to an email Bowman-Raines was using.
Investigators got more information in February when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported someone who was uploading files on Snapchat that contained child pornography.
Officials said the Snapchat account was linked to the same email from the initial tip.
Shortly after, the NCMEC submitted a report about an Instagram user with the same email that had uploaded a file with child pornography.
After obtaining a search warrant for Bowman-Raines’ iCloud account, investigators found several files containing child pornography.
According to the Herald, the victims ranged in age from 4 years old to pre-teen.
In an interview with authorities, Bowman-Raines admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography. He also admitted to being the owner of the social media accounts connected to his email.
Bowman-Raines faces between five and 20 years if he is convicted.
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