A dark cloud over the city of Gary, Ind. appeared today with the announcement that a former police officer from their ranks has been arrested on charges related to child pornography. James W. Bond, a 52-year-old ex-officer of Gary's Police Department, faces allegations of sexual exploitation of a minor and the possession and receiving of child pornography, owing to acts he purportedly committed earlier this summer.
The indictment, fetched by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Hammond, details upsetting claims about Bond leveraging his authority to entice a minor, who was working under the Summer Youth Employment Program in the city, into producing and forwarding explicit material. The former Commander's initial court appearance was slated for this afternoon and took place before U.S. Magistrate Judge Abizer Zanzi.
These heavy charges come through collaborative efforts and were disclosed by an array of law enforcement officials, including Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Morris Pasqual, Homeland Security Investigations' Sean Fitzgerald, and Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter. According to a statement from the Justice Department, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elie Zenner will represent the government in this prosecution, which has been taken up by the Northern District of Illinois due to a recusal by the counterpart in Indiana.
While the indictment serves as no more than an accusation, Bond is facing potentially severe sentences should a conviction come to pass—the exploitation charge alone could land him in federal prison for a minimum of 15 years, and up to 30 years. The receipt and possession charges vary in severity, with possible imprisonment spanning from five to twenty years for the former, and up to a decade for the latter.
In light of these disturbing developments, those with information or who may have been impacted by Bond's alleged actions are moved to report to Homeland Security Investigations by calling 1-877-4-HSI-TIP, available to the public anytime, all week.
