COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Norwich Township firefighter was arrested on child sexual abuse material charges last week.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court documents, a Hilliard police detective received a tip about a CashApp account receiving money for sexually explicit material in November 2022. The account was being run by a 17-year-old girl.
One of the accounts suspected of purchasing material was 22-year-old Caden Woodward, records say. The display name for the account was shown as "Woody" with a Hilliard address.
Authorities issued a subpoena to Block Inc., the parent company of CashApp, regarding the accounts associated with Woody. The company identified the account holder as "Caden Woodward." The social security number and date of birth with the account were a match to the person living at the Hilliard address.
On Oct. 10, Hilliard detectives reviewed chat logs between Woodward and the juvenile. There were nine sexually explicit photos of the teenage girl and the log shows Woodward responding to her about the photos he received. The log also shows Woodward allegedly inquiring about a "secret menu."
Records show Woodward has been charged with illegal use of minors in nudity-oriented material.
Norwich Township Fire Chief David Baird said Woodward was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay. He had been an employee with the fire department since Oct. 10, 2022.
You can read his full statement below.
"On Wednesday, October 11, 2023, representatives of Norwich Township were notified that an employee had been arrested as a result of a criminal investigation during a traffic stop. Firefighter Caden Woodward has been an employee of Norwich Township since October 10, 2022, and has previous full-time experience at Bath Township near Lima, Ohio.
Firefighter Woodward was placed on Administrative Leave with Pay immediately upon being notified of his arrest. Norwich Township has no further comments during this ongoing investigation."