Jury trial set for Springfield man accused of child pornography crimes

A trial date is set against a Springfield man at the center of a Department of Homeland Security child pornography investigation.

The case against Charles Tyree, 29, is set to be presented to a jury on Dec. 16. He was indicted in Clark County Common Pleas Court on charges that include six counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor and two counts of voyeurism. He pleaded not guilty.

Tyree was first charged in Clark County Municipal Court. An affidavit filed with those charges allege Tyree secretly recorded a child in the child’s bedroom and posted naked photos of the child on an online chat application.

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Springfield police began an investigation when they were contacted by Homeland Security in September. The federal agency called the local police force to alert them they were carrying out a search warrant for electronic equipment in connection to a child pornography investigation, according to the affidavit.

“(An agent) stated an undercover agent was communicating with a suspect through a social media application between (Sept. 9 through Sept. 18),” the affidavit says. “(The agent) stated the suspect uploaded four nude images of the child victim into a social media application. (The agent) stated the undercover agent engaged in chatting with the suspect who acknowledged that he was actively attempting to become sexually active with the child victim.”

Homeland Security carried out the search warrant at a home on Kenton Street where electronic devices were located and seized, according to the affidavit. The equipment was analyzed and the information seized from the electronic equipment and Tyree was identified as the suspect’s, the affidavit says.

“Special agents were able to locate hidden cameras in the residence in the child victim’s bedroom and pointing toward the bathroom,” the affidavit says. “These cameras were discovered after a Dell Inspiron Computer contained videos of the child victim nude in these locations.”

The affidavit also says Tyree invoked his right to counsel and was not interviewed by police. He was booked into the jail following his arrest, where he has remained since.

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