The Canadian County Sheriff's Office, acting on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, arrested a Yukon man earlier this month for possession of child pornography.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Instagram reported to the NCMEC that a user was uploading images of child pornography to his social media account. The NCMEC contacted the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), who in turn sent the case to the Canadian County Sheriff's Office, one of the agencies involved in the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Investigators got a search warrant for the IP address of the suspect, Timothy Erick Awbrey, 45, and discovered that the man lived in Yukon, Oklahoma. They obtained a search warrant for his home. Upon executing the warrant, deputies reportedly conducted a forensic examination of Awbrey's iPhone X and determined that it was the device used to upload child pornography. Deputies say the phone contained sexually explicit images of children as young as three years old.
When investigators questioned the man, he reportedly admitted to looking at child pornography over the course of the last several years. They say he admitted to being caught viewing child porn by his wife. He allegedly told investigators that he had multiple underground accounts based out of Russia that he used to view, possess, and trade child pornography.
Awbrey was charged last week with possession of child pornography in violation of 21 O.S. 1021.2. This statute states in part, "Any person who shall procure or cause the participation of any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years in any child pornography or who knowingly possesses, procures, or manufactures, or causes to be sold or distributed any child pornography shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than twenty (20) years or by the imposition of a fine of not more than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) or by both said fine and imprisonment."
Possession of child pornography is a Level 1 sex offense. An offender assigned to Level 1 must register as a sex offender for 15 years with annual address verification.
