A 68-year-old Franklin man is facing a Level 5 felony charge after Johnson County investigators say they traced child sexual abuse material to his Gmail accounts, despite his attempts to wipe his devices clean. Ronald E. Edwards was booked into the Johnson County Jail last week and was released after posting a $1,500 bond, according to police incident logs.
The case against Edwards began building months earlier. According to the Daily Journal, the Department of Child Services in Rush County told the Franklin Police Department on June 15 that children were being removed from a home on Lochry Road, citing concerns about Edwards viewing inappropriate sexual material. The very next day, a woman told Franklin police that Edwards' Google account had been banned for downloading inappropriate material, the paper reports.
Those two threads led investigators to an Indiana State Police analyst, who found three reports filed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children flagging Edwards for downloading child sexual abuse material, per the probable cause affidavit cited by the same outlet. That volume of tips is not unusual on a statewide level — the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a multi-agency program created in 2005, received more than 7,500 CyberTips from the national center in 2021 alone.
Wiped Devices, Uploaded Images
When Franklin police searched Edwards' home, they reportedly found several electronic devices that had been reset to factory settings or had their hard drives removed. Despite that, forensic examination of his Gmail accounts allegedly revealed that Edwards had uploaded at least six images showing young girls in exposed sexual positions, according to the report.
Edwards told investigators he had clicked on a scam banner that redirected him to a website containing photos of young girls wearing little to no clothing, the article states. Police also say they found marijuana at his home during the search, resulting in an additional Class B misdemeanor possession charge. That count carries a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail, per the same account.
What Edwards Is Facing in Court
The case is now filed in Johnson County Circuit Court, where Edwards faces a Level 5 felony charge for possession of child sexual abuse material alongside the misdemeanor marijuana count. Under Indiana Code 35-50-2-6, a Level 5 felony conviction carries a prison term of one to six years and a fine of up to $10,000, according to The Criminal Defense Team. A conviction would also trigger mandatory registration on the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry for a minimum of 10 years, as outlined by Rigney Law LLC. The Class B misdemeanor marijuana charge separately carries a maximum fine of up to $1,000, according to Razumich & Associates, PC. Edwards has not been convicted, and the allegations against him remain unproven claims at this stage of the case.
A Familiar Pattern in Johnson County
Edwards' arrest follows a string of similar cases in the area. In March, Franklin police executed a search warrant at the home of 22-year-old Cordale Morrison after a Kik tip led to a device seizure, charging him with Level 5 felony CSAM possession and a Level 4 felony. Two months later, law enforcement in nearby Bargersville arrested a substitute teacher on similar charges after task force units traced illicit activity across Snapchat back to him.
Franklin is also home to ASSIST Indiana, a regional rape crisis and child advocacy center that partners with local law enforcement and prosecutors to provide trauma-informed victim advocacy and crisis intervention in Johnson County, according to the Daily Journal. Families affected by cases like this one have access to that local infrastructure as the court proceedings against Edwards move forward.
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