Cyber investigators charge man with 100 counts after search of home, computer
FRANKFORT, KY. (Nov. 9, 2018) – A 62-year-old Shelbyville man has been arrested and charged with 100 counts of allegedly possessing child porn, Attorney General Andy Beshear announced today.
Beshear’s Cyber Crimes Unit arrested Joseph Steve Gable Nov. 9 and charged him with 100 counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, Class D felonies, after a search of Gable’s residence uncovered hundreds of images of child pornography stored on his computer hard drives.
Beshear said his office received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding an individual, initially unknown, who was uploading child pornography from a residence in Shelbyville.
An investigation by Beshear’s office led them to identify the reported individual as Gable.
“The Attorney General is the chief advocate and protector for our Kentucky families, and it’s our job to ensure our communities are safe by stopping predators who target and exploit our children,” Beshear said. “We were able to make an arrest in this case because someone reported the behavior to the national hotline. In order to protect our neighborhoods we need everyone to report suspicious activity to our cyber office or to other law enforcement agencies.”
Last week Beshear’s office arrested a Louisville man for alleged sex crimes after a Louisville woman found the man’s abandoned cellphone and turned it in to Beshear’s cyber investigators after noticing sexual images of minors on the phone.
Beshear’s cyber investigators transported Gable to the Shelby County Detention Center where he is being held without bail.
Beshear’s cyber investigators focus on arresting predators who seek to harm children in Kentucky communities and on the internet.
The Cyber Crimes Unit has some of the best and most modern digital forensic investigation capabilities. These include collecting evidential documentation and files from a variety of devices, including damaged, password protected, erased or hidden information.
This evidence collection can be done within the unit’s cyber lab, or in the field to meet the demands of an extenuating circumstance. The office’s forensic detectives not only support the office’s needs, but support local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that do not have their own cyber investigation and forensic capabilities.
Over the past two and half years, the number of arrests, indictments and convictions by Beshear’s cyber investigators has reached historic levels, totaling more than 150.
Beshear said that Kentuckians have a moral and legal duty to report any instance of child abuse to local law enforcement or to Kentucky’s Child Abuse hotline at 877-597-2331 or 877-KYSAFE1.
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