LOUISA, Ky. — A Lawrence County man has been arrested on multiple counts related to child pornography.

The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch began investigating Christopher Alan Price, 26, of Louisa, on suspicion that he was distributing child porn images online. That led to police obtaining a search warrant Thursday for Price’s home, where they seized equipment believed to facilitate the crime.

As a result of the investigation, Price was arrested and charged with:

• One count of first-degree sodomy
• 25 counts of promoting a minor under 16 in a sexual performance
• 20 counts of possession child porn of victim under 12
• Eight counts of distributing child porn of a victim under 12
• Nine counts of sexual crimes against an animal

All of the charges are felonies, with the sodomy and sexual performance charges carrying the longest potential sentence at 10-to-20 years in prison.

Price is being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville.

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ABINGDON, Va. — A southwestern Virginia man is expected to plead guilty to a federal charge of sexual exploitation of minors.

Authorities filed the charge against Timothy A. Robinson on Monday, accusing him of distributing child pornography in 2019.

Robinson has already reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He is expected to plead guilty during a hearing scheduled for June 9.

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ABINGDON, Va. — A southwestern Virginia man will spend more time in prison than he has been alive, after pleading guilty to sexually exploiting children via Snapchat.

Hunter Royal, 23, of Marion, was sentenced to 27 years in prison when he appeared Abingdon federal court Wednesday morning.

Royal admitted to scaring and shaming girls as young as 12 to send him sexually explicit photos.

Prosecutors say his pattern was to pretend to be a young girl to talk to actual girls and gain their trust. He would eventually steer the conversation toward sexual topics and convince the girls to send sexually explicit pictures. He would then use those pictures to blackmail the girls into sending more pictures.

Because of the temporary nature of Snapchat messages, authorities could only verify that Royal had received pictures from 11 girls, but those pictures numbered in the hundreds.

Prosecutors say the investigation revealed Royal contacted about 1,500 people on Snapchat in 2018 and 2019, and about 250 of those were girls between the ages of 12 and 17.

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ABINGDON, Va. — A Buchanan County man has been charged in federal court with uploading child pornography to an online group.

According to court records, Jordan Seth Gross, 21, operated the group on the Kik messenger service. In November, he is accused of unknowingly inviting an undercover FBI employee to join the group.

During a subsequent investigation, the FBI uncovered six videos allegedly uploaded by Gross from a residence in Whitewood and from Buchanan General Hospital, where he was employed as a security guard.

Gross has now been indicted on a charge of sexual exploitation of minors. He is being held in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon.

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pikeville man has been arrested on child sexual exploitation offenses.

Police began investigating Bill Daniel Combs, 36, after reportedly discovering him chatting with a minor online.

After interviewing him and seizing electronic equipment alleged used in the crime, Combs was arrested and charged with one count of using an electronic device to procure a minor for sex and two counts of child porn possession.

He is now being held without bond in the Pike County Detention Center.

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