A Batesville child sexual abuse material arrest has led to felony charges against a 20-year-old man following an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Josue Alexander Cruz is being held in the Independence County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond after his February 17 arrest for possession or use of child sexual abuse material, a Class B felony.
According to court documents, ICAC received a tip on January 5 involving a user allegedly posting child sexual abuse material on a Discord server. Investigators traced the IP address to Cruz’s residence in the 2400 block of Neeley Street in Batesville.
Detective Brenda Bittle with the Batesville Police Department stated in the affidavit that the uploaded video depicted a man engaged in sexual activity with a child believed to be under six years old.
Authorities served a search warrant at the residence on February 12 and seized Cruz’s cell phone as evidence. According to the affidavit, Cruz was interviewed and reportedly acknowledged that evidence would be found on the device.
The investigation remains ongoing.
