COLUMBUS, Ind. – A Columbus man is in custody for child exploitation after officers from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force conducted a search warrant at his residence.
The Columbus Police Department (CPD), the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office joined the ICAC Task Force, a national program focused on investigating exploited children, in the investigation in July 2023.
During 2022 and 2023, the National Institute for Missing and Exploited Children received several tips that Caleb Kirts, 30, had uploaded pornographic images of children.
CPD officers stopped Kirts in a reported stolen vehicle on February 10. They seized his cell phone as he supposedly told them there was evidence about where the vehicle came from on the phone.
After obtaining a warrant, investigators with the Intelligence-Led Policing Unit searched the phone for the stolen vehicle evidence, but also allegedly found images of child pornography.
ICAC Task Force investigators requested and were granted a search warrant for the suspect’s house at 3995 N. County Road 500W. Several electronic devices were reportedly seized. Kirts was located at Kirts Truck Repair, on E. State Road 46, and taken into custody.
He was preliminarily charged with child exploitation (Level 5 felony). He will remain incarcerated at Bartholomew County Jail on a 48-hour hold. The investigation is ongoing, with more charges possible.
