An 18-year-old Anderson man is facing two counts of Level 5 felony child exploitation after investigators say he posted intimate videos of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend on his Snapchat story, then followed it up with 17 separate posts about her in a single day. Madison County prosecutors have now escalated the case further, filing a Notice of Intent to Seek Habitual Offender Status against Chandler Turner alongside a Petition Alleging Child is Delinquent.
According to court documents cited by Fox 59, the victim learned that Turner had posted the intimate and inappropriate videos on a Snapchat story that tagged her own account. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Turner's Snapchat account and confirmed the videos had been posted from it, the outlet reported. Court filings also indicate Turner texted the victim beforehand warning that her nudes were going to be leaked, allegedly following a disagreement between the two.
Per the same court documents, Turner and the victim had dated on and off for three years before breaking up in December 2025. At that point, as reported by WTHR, the victim had asked Turner to delete all intimate videos of her.
A Pattern of Harassment Before the Leak
Probable cause documents relayed by WTHR state that before the Snapchat videos surfaced, the victim's mother's car was vandalized, and the victim received texts from an anonymous Snapchat account that shared Turner's birthday. The affidavit indicates it was the victim's sister who first discovered the videos on Turner's Snapchat story and screen-recorded them to hand over to police, since Snapchat content typically disappears after 24 hours unless captured.
Fox 59's reporting notes investigators also located a photo showing Turner in possession of a black handgun. The outlet reports Turner was on probation at the time and was not allowed to possess firearms or look-alike guns under the terms of that probation.
When officers attempted to reach Turner, court documents cited by WTHR state that his mother told investigators she had contacted an attorney and that Turner did not wish to speak with them. Online court records reviewed by Fox 59 do not yet indicate when Turner is expected to appear in court.
Habitual Offender Filing Raises the Stakes
Beyond the two child exploitation counts, Madison County prosecutors filed the Notice of Intent to Seek Habitual Offender Status and the delinquency petition, according to court filings. Under Indiana Code § 35-42-4-4, each Level 5 felony child exploitation count carries a prison sentence of one to six years, an advisory sentence of three years, and fines up to $10,000, according to The Criminal Defense Team.
If prosecutors succeed in proving habitual offender status on top of the underlying felony, Indiana Code § 35-50-2-8 mandates an additional sentencing enhancement of two to six years in prison, according to Banks & Brower. That means Turner could face a combined maximum well beyond the standard six-year ceiling on a single charge if convicted and the enhancement is upheld.
Part of a Statewide Surge in Digital Exploitation Cases
The case lands amid a dramatic rise in reported online child exploitation across Indiana. From January through August 2026, the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received 16,643 CyberTips regarding suspected online child sexual abuse and exploitation statewide, WTHR reported in September. That same month, the task force's Operation Guardian Angel led to 61 arrests and rescued nine children from ongoing abuse, per the outlet's reporting.
In Madison County, felony child sex and abuse cases run through a dedicated Special Victims Unit led by Deputy Prosecutor Dan Kopp, who was named 2026 Indiana ICAC Task Force Prosecutor of the Year. An Anderson man was sentenced to 50 years in a state child-molesting case, as Hoodline previously reported.
