WORTHINGTON, Ohio — A Worthington man is under federal investigation for allegedly downloading images of child sexual abuse.
Andrew Brown, 49, was accused in the case after investigators found 392 gigabytes of material involving child sexual abuse on the BitTorrent network, according to a criminal complaint filed in Franklin County Municipal Court. He is facing a federal charge of the distribution, transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography.
A federal criminal complaint states the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was notified of an IP address downloading more than 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material between Oct. 26, 2023, and Nov. 1, 2023.
Investigators learned that the files were downloaded onto an undercover computer law enforcement agencies use to identify people who traffic pornographic material involving children. The files were being shared with other people in a file-sharing network.
After issuing subpoenas to the internet provider, the task force learned that the IP address was connected to an address at Worthington Terrace Apartments where Brown lived with a family member.
Authorities served a search warrant at Brown’s apartment on April 29 and April 30. While the search warrant was executed, the federal complaint states that authorities witnessed Brown actively downloading and exchanging material.
Approximately 21 devices were seized from Brown’s apartment. Investigators reviewed the download files on the devices, including graphic videos depicting sexual acts involving young girls.
Brown spoke with law enforcement officers and admitted to using software to download the material, according to the complaint. He described himself as a “collector" of child sexual abuse material, telling law enforcement that he has a “lot of” content on his devices.
The complaint states that Brown was a volunteer teacher at the Worthington Adventist Academy. He was a youth minister and youth bible study teacher at the Worthington Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
The academy was made aware on May 1 of the incident. In a statement, officials said there was no suspicion that a student was harmed or in danger.
"Our school is committed to maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff. We believe in transparency and accountability, so immediately after hearing about this case, we communicated with parents and other stakeholders on the issue. Our school leaders and staff have been fully cooperating with the authorities. There is no suspicion that any student has been harmed or is in danger. We have also activated our support systems, which include professional confidential counseling services for our school community," the academy said in a statement.