The following is a release from the Prestonsburg Police Department:
On December 5, 2023, PPD Detective Brad Caldwell, who is affiliated with Internet Crimes Against Children organizations, and is specially trained in such cases, received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a subscriber in Floyd County was tracked viewing, downloading, and uploading child pornography.
Following the tip, Floyd District Judge Tyler Green issued a search warrant for the subscriber information and given data learned from the execution of that warrant, Avery Newsome, 38, of Grethel, Kentucky was found to have been involved in the trafficking of child pornography and a further search warrant of his residence was executed today by PPD Detectives, Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputies, Kentucky State Police and their Electronic Crimes Branch. Newsome was found to be in possession of at least 3,500 files suspected of containing child pornography.
Newsome was arrested at his home where he offered a full confession and was lodged in the Floyd County Jail on three counts of Possession of Matter Portraying a Sexual Performance by a Minor Under 12 Years Old pending a full forensic analysis of evidence that was seized at his home.