Man indicted on child porn charges

A Vine Grove man was indicted Thursday into Hardin Circuit Court for charges relating to child pornography.

BURGESS

Garell M. Burgess, 52, faces two counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and third-degree sexual abuse.

According to the indictment, the alleged offenses occurred Oct. 25, 2012. According to a citation, Burgess turned himself in exactly 30 days later at the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office for service of arrest warrants.

According to warrants, Burgess demanded the alleged victim remove her clothing and then touched her against her will.

He then took the woman to a location off North Dixie Highway where he showed her numerous photographs on a laptop computer, police said.

According to a warrant, the woman described the photos as containing girls with “very young looking faces.”

Kentucky State Police obtained a search warrant and seized the laptop from which investigators documented four video files, two of which appeared to contain child pornography, according to the warrant.

Police intend to send the laptop to the KSP E-Crimes Unit for further analysis, according to the warrant.

Burgess remains lodged at Hardin County Detention Center in lieu of a $25,000 cash bond.

An arraignment in circuit court has not been scheduled.

An indictment is an allegation, not proof of guilt. A defendant is innocent until proven guilty.

Possession of a matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor is a Class D felony, which is punishable by one to five years in prison if found guilty, according to Kentucky Revised Statutes.

Sarah Bennett can be reached at (270) 505-1750 or sbennett@thenewsenterprise.com.