The allegations against Leroy Ross center on his explanation that he had received and saved child sexual abuse material to turn it over to police—a claim investigators say was contradicted by activity on his phone. The 33-year-old Belington, West Virginia man faces charges of distribution and exhibiting of material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and is being held on a $30,000 bond.
The investigation began in March with a cybertip to the Barbour County detachment of the West Virginia State Police, according to WBOY. The tip flagged an account allegedly uploading CSAM through Google. Authorities subpoenaed the associated IP address, which led them to Ross.
How CyberTipline Reports Are Handled
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says CyberTipline staff review tips and work to identify a potential location so a report may be made available to the appropriate law-enforcement agency for possible investigation, according to NCMEC.
When troopers questioned Ross after searching his phone on March 16, he reportedly said he had received the material through Threads and Telegram and did not know whom to contact after people began messaging him. “I was going to report some apps I found on there about child porn,” he told troopers, according to WBOY.
The Evidence Cited by Investigators
Ross reportedly said he saved the videos so he could give them to law enforcement. But investigators said he had not contacted any agency about the files. They also alleged that he had conversations with unknown senders inquiring about purchasing CSAM, and that he downloaded material to his phone before deleting the apps and messages involved.
Ross's devices were sent to the Morgantown Digital Forensic Laboratory for further analysis. The review was completed on August 25, and the lab reported finding two explicit videos involving CSAM on his phone, according to WBOY.
Charges and Custody
Ross was charged with distribution and exhibiting of material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $30,000 bond, WBOY reported. No primary charging documents were available to independently verify additional statutory details, and no comment from Ross, an attorney or family members has been reported.
