IDAHO FALLS — A 30-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after officials say he shared sexual images and videos of children in a group chat.
Shaun Royce Turpin is charged with four counts of felony knowingly distributing child sexually exploitative material.
According to court documents, an investigator with the Idaho Office of the Attorney General was assigned to a cybertip by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Jan. 29.
Staff from the messaging app Kik had reportedly discovered several files containing child sexual abuse material on an account that was tracked to Turpin’s email and IP address at a home in Idaho Falls.
Investigators obtained a search warrant from Turpin’s internet service provider, showing that he had allegedly viewed and shared images and videos of children between the ages of 5 and 11 engaging with adults and animals in sexual situations.
On April 11, investigators served a search warrant at Turpin’s home and transported him to the Idaho Falls Police Department for an interview.
During the interview, Turpin reportedly admitted that the Kik account that had been sharing child pornography was his, and said he had been using the account since he was a “horny teenager.”
He then allegedly admitted to participating in a group chat on the app that sends and receives child pornography. According to police reports, Turpin stated he “was not proud of his actions and would take them back if he could.”
When asked if Turpin had a specific age of victim in the child pornography that he would look for, he responded that there was a certain age, but did not specify. Then he stated it was “just the taboo-ness of it.”
Turpin said he had not saved any of the child pornography images. Investigators searched his phone and did not find any files of child pornography.
A warrant was issued for Turpin’s arrest on May 21, and he was booked into the Bonneville County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He posted bail and was released the same day.
Turpin is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on June 11. If convicted, he could face up to 120 years in prison.
Though Turpin has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
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