MORGAN CO. – A 59-year-old Morgan County man, Nathan J. Bailey, is facing charges related to child exploitation and the possession of child pornography.
According to a Probable Cause Affidavit filed on Friday, Bailey has been charged with one count of child exploitation, a Level 4 felony, and 33 counts of possessing child pornography, all Level 5 felonies.
Court records allege that Bailey knowingly or intentionally disseminated sexually explicit content depicting a child under the age of 12.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation after receiving information from the group “Bikers Against Predators.” The report indicated that Bailey had child pornography at a residence in the 1300 block of Jennifer Lane.
Deputies made contact with Bailey at the residence, where he allegedly admitted to possessing child pornography on his phone. Court documents also state that Bailey claimed to have “the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.”
According to the affidavit, Bailey engaged in online communication with another individual in a mutual Facebook group before moving the conversation to the Telegram app. During their exchange on Telegram, sexually explicit materials depicting children were allegedly shared.
Court records further indicate that some of the exchanged images and videos contained sexually explicit material depicting children under the age of three. Bailey also allegedly told the other individual that he had been with a child in the past. During an interview with police, Bailey admitted that there had been allegations of him engaging in sexual activity with children, although he denied ever doing so, stating, “All he did was ‘looky looky, no touchy touchy,'” according to court documents.
Investigators also allege that Bailey paid a woman on Telegram with an Apple gift card to obtain additional child pornography. Court documents reveal that Bailey told the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office that “he knows this is wrong” and “has researched the penalties for this type of offense.”
Despite being banned from Telegram, Bailey allegedly continued to reach out to individuals on Facebook seeking child sexual abuse material and paid some of them for the alleged content.
Documents also state that Bailey claimed to have been a licensed daycare worker in the past and a youth pastor for the past 10 years at New Life Christian Church in Paragon. However, the church reportedly stated that it has never employed Bailey in any capacity.
Following the execution of a search warrant, investigators with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office discovered 23 videos and 10 images containing child pornography in Bailey’s possession.
According to online court records, Nathan J. Bailey’s initial hearing is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
