U.S. Attorney announces conviction of Jasper man with child porn charges
Jasper — U.S. State Attorney Joe Hogsett announced a Jasper man was convicted of 12 counts of receiving child pornography.
Kurtis Head, 31, previously of 339 West 43rd St. received 8 years and one month of time to be served in a federal prison. He still faces prosecution in Dubois County for five charges related to inappropriate activities involving children that were revealed during the investigation conducted by Jasper detective sergeant Rick Chambers in conjunction with the Homeland Security investigation.
Besides the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations is the second most prolific investigating agency in regards to these types of cases.
Head was arrested on July 31 when Homeland Security and the Jasper Police Department served a search warrant at his residence and found thousands of photos and videos depicting child pornography on a computer in his possession.
Agents were able to trace Head’s activities during an investigation into a server located in the United States disseminating child pornography over the internet. During the investigation into the server, agents traced images and videos shared to Head’s computer located at an apartment in Jasper.
Hogsett: “You are not anonymous online – if you engage in this activity, we will find you and you will be held accountable.”
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According to Hogsett, the agents were surprised by the amount of material and the context of that material found on Head’s computer at his residence. “It was apparent on July 31st, when a federal search warrant was executed, that Mr. Head was a potential threat to the people of Jasper and the children of Dubois County,” Hogsett stated. “And that is why he was taken into custody that day.”
Head was also charged with molesting a 6-year-old girl from evidence found during the Homeland Security investigation.
Jasper police were able to ascertain that Head had allegedly touched a 6-year-old girl inappropriately in May of 2010 while he confined her and an 8-year-old male in Apartment 204 at 675 Giesler Road. He allegedly also presented pornographic material to the two children while they were being confined.
Those charges were filed through the Dubois County Prosecuting Attorney’s office by the Jasper Police Department. According to Dubois County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Crouse, Head still faces five charges involving children through his office and he will be prosecuted in Dubois County at a future date.
“These cases are always difficult, both as a prosecutor and as a parent,” Hogsett said. “But they are important, not just to ensure the safety of Hoosier children, but also to send a message that we will not tolerate such behavior in our communities. You are not anonymous online — If you engage in this activity, we will find you and you will be held accountable.”
Head is being federally charged as part of Operation Community Watch, a new effort aimed at reducing the abuse of Hoosier children. the new effort falls under the scope of Project Safe Childhood, a larger nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation.
Through Operation Community Watch prosecutors and investigators will use cutting-edge techniques to identify and charge people in Hoosier communities who are engaged in the receipt and trafficking of child pornography..
Over the last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has successfully identified more than 120 child victims, including minors in Indiana and numerous other places in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland and other countries around the world.
