CLAYTON — A Clayton man was indicted Monday on counts in connection to possessing child pornography and uploading it to the social media app, Kik, according to a release from the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
After an investigation by the Clayton Police Department, Paul Joseph Leibold, 53, was indicted for five counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and six counts of illegal use of minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.
The indictments come after the Department of Homeland Security notified the Clayton Police Department that Leibold’s IP address was connected to the child pornography that was uploaded to the Kik app.
A search warrant was issued and Leibold’s cellphone was forensically examined by the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Chief investigator, K. Smmot, according to the release.
The release stated that the examination of the phone showed a number of pornographic images of children.
This crime takes place only a week after a Rockford man was arrested by the FBI after they said he sent sexually explicit images of minors while also using the social media app Kik.
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Prosecuting Attorney Matt Heck made the following statement:
“Through the cooperation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Clayton Police Department, and my office, we were able to identify and locate this pornographer and pedophile. Those persons who share child pornography on the internet need to understand that we will identify them, find them, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. They face not only prison time, but must also register as a sex offender.”
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Liebold, and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:30 a.m., the release said.