A 26-year-old Corbin man is behind bars after Kentucky State Police say an undercover investigation uncovered him sharing child sexual abuse material online. Curtis James Spears now faces 10 counts of distribution of matter portraying a minor under 12 years old in a sexual performance. Under the statute, distribution is a Class B felony when the person knows the minor depicted is under 12.
According to the The Mountain Advocate, the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch arrested Spears after investigators discovered him sharing the material online, which triggered a search warrant at a residence in Corbin. The exact timing of the arrest has been reported differently across outlets: WYMT reported Spears was arrested at approximately 2:13 p.m. on Sunday, while WKYT reported he was charged and arrested Monday.
Investigators said the case began after the Electronic Crime Branch found Spears allegedly sharing images of child sexual exploitation online, per WYMT's report. That discovery led directly to the search of the Corbin home, where authorities seized equipment believed to have been used to facilitate the crime. The seized equipment was sent to the agency's forensic laboratory for examination, the station's report states.
Spears Held at Knox County Detention Center
Spears was taken to the Knox County Detention Center following his arrest, per the same account. WKYT reported that he was being held on a $50,000 bond. Hoodline could not independently verify details about the specific residence searched or the forensic laboratory's findings, which have not been released.
The investigation remains ongoing, according to WYMT, and no additional details have emerged about further charges or potential victims. The case is being handled under KRS 531.340, the Kentucky statute covering distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor, according to Kentucky's legislature website.
Part of a Statewide Pattern of Arrests
Spears's arrest follows a string of similar cases brought by Kentucky State Police's Electronic Crime Branch this year. Just weeks earlier, the agency charged Jared Salmons with 17 counts of the same offense, also a Class C felony punishable by five to 10 years in prison, according to a release from the Kentucky State Police. Earlier this year, the agency's Electronic Crime Branch also arrested James Kylen Johnson, 32, on charges tied to child sexual abuse material following a separate undercover investigation, per a KSP release covering that case.
These cases fall under the umbrella of Kentucky's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is administered by the Kentucky State Police and was created by the U.S. Department of Justice. The task force comprises more than 26 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies working to assist investigators responding to cyber enticement and child sexual abuse material cases.
The task force provides forensic and investigative support, training, technical assistance, victim services, prevention efforts, and community education. The broader ICAC program was developed in response to increasing internet use among children and teenagers, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and heightened online activity by predators seeking unsupervised contact with underage victims.
