CONNERSVILLE – Members of Indiana’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant this morning following a lengthy investigation involving a Connersville man and the possession of child pornography.
Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, ISP Central SWAT Team, forensic examiners from the ISP Digital Forensics Unit, and Connersville Police Department, executed the search warrant at 427 West 9th Street in Connersville.Â
The Internet Crime Against Children Task Force initiated the investigation in June 2023 after receiving cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
During the five-month investigation, the task force identified the suspect as Joshua Allen Lemen, 33, of Connersville. The Task Force also used Titus, a digital device sniffing K-9, to assist with the search warrant.
Lemen was arrested and transported to the Fayette County Jail, where he was preliminarily charged with possession of child pornography, a Level 5 felony, possession of child pornography, depicting a child under 12 years old, a Level 5 felony, and distribution of child pornography, a Level 5 felony.
The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a multiagency task force that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. The Indiana State Police oversees the task force.
The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to NCMEC. The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website. NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization providing services nationwide to families and law enforcement officials relating to the prevention of abduction and sexual exploitation of children. To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the internet or other electronic means, please contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency.
ICAC Taskforce website:Â https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/.
