KSP PRESS RELEASE:
CLINTON, Ky. (October 12, 2023) — On October 11, 2023, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch arrested Joshua R. Baird, 31, on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
Mr. Baird was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect sharing images of child sexual exploitation online.
The investigation resulted in a search warrant at a residence in Clinton on October 11, 2023. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation is ongoing.
Mr. Baird is currently charged with one count of promoting a minor under 16 years old in a sex performance. This charge is a Class-B felony punishable by ten to twenty years in prison. Mr. Baird was lodged in the Hickman County Detention Center.
MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (October 12, 2023) — On October 11, 2023, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch located, interviewed, and arrested 32-year-old Roy Alan Tiefel of Menifee County on charges related to a child sexual abuse material investigation.
Tiefel was interviewed as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect communicating with and soliciting sexually explicit images of a minor from an online social media account.
The investigation resulted in the execution of a search warrant for Tiefel’s cellular phones in Mount Sterling on October 11, 2023. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination.
Tiefel is currently charged with one count of promoting a minor under the age of 18 in a sexual performance. This charge is a Class-C felony punishable by five to ten years in prison. He is also charged with one count of possessing matter portraying a minor over the age of 12 but under 18 in a sexual performance, and one count of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by an electronic means. These two charges are Class-D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison. Lastly, Tiefel was charged with distributing obscene matter to a minor. This charge is a Class-A misdemeanor punishable by up to 365 days in jail. Tiefel was lodged in the Montgomery County Regional Detention Center.
The Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is comprised of more than twenty-six local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the United States Department of Justice and administrated by the Kentucky State Police, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing a response to cyber enticement and child sexual abuse material investigations. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The ICAC program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity of predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
