John Lee Harp (Madison County Sheriff’s Office)
A 71-year-old man in Indiana was arrested this week for allegedly having child sexual abuse material, telling police that he accidentally discovered the illicit material more than 10 years ago when he misspelled in an online search engine.
John Lee Harp, of Anderson, Indiana, was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with four felony counts of possession of child pornography, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Investigators with the Fishers Police Department in December 2022 began looking into Harp after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding suspicious online material being uploaded and downloaded, Fort Wayne, Indiana CBS affiliate WANE-TV reported. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the station, Microsoft provided the initial tip to NCMEC.
The Hamilton County Metro Child Exploitation Task Force eventually took over the case, according to a report from the Herald Bulletin.
Investigators soon traced the user’s IP address to a home in the 3000 block of Central Avenue in Anderson, Indiana, where Harp allegedly resided. On June 20, authorities obtained and executed a search warrant at the home. Detectives also questioned Harp regarding the alleged child sexual abuse material.
During the interview, Harp allegedly confessed to downloading child pornography, telling investigators that he had been addicted to the illicit material for more than 10 years, according to WANE. Harp reportedly explained that he first discovered child pornography when he was performing an online search for a correspondence class he was taking. He misspelled a word, inadvertently leading him to a site depicting the material.
Both news reports state Harp admitted to authorities at the scene that he had been masturbating to child sexual abuse material in his home just moments before officers arrived at the residence.
Police reportedly wrote that Harp proceeded to provide them with a list of websites to which he subscribes for child pornography. Those subscriptions, Harp reportedly said, cost him over $100 a month.
Investigators seized several electronic devices from Harp’s home. A search of those devices reportedly revealed that Harp was storing more than 2,000 images of CSAM and more than 20 videos. Police said that some victims depicted in the pictures and videos were as young as 4, WANE reported.
Harp was booked into the Madison County Detention Center. Records show that his bond was set at $1,000.
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