By Staff
ST. JOSEPH – A South Bend man is expected to be extradited to Berrien County on a warrant for child pornography charges.
On Thursday, June 12, at approximately 11:45 a.m. officers from the South Bend Police Department and the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department arrested Jeremy A. Park, 28, at his apartment at Bonfield Place in South Bend, Ind.
He was charged with four counts of possession of child sexually abusive material and four counts use of computer for criminal act.
Park was arrested on a warrant issued by the Berrien County Trial Court earlier this month resulting from an investigation that begin March 18.
Park was lodged in the St. Joseph County Jail pending extradition to Berrien County.
On March 18, officers from the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department responded to a report of a domestic assault at 9064 Kephart Lane, Berrien Springs.
At that time, Park alleged he had been assaulted by his wife. Officers were not able to substantiate that an assault occurred and no arrests were made on that allegation; but, as a result of the living conditions in the apartment along with the incident officers were called to, officers took the Park's one-year-old child into protective custody. Child Protective Services was notified and the child was placed into foster care at that time.
During the investigation a laptop computer was turned over to officers along with information that it contained child pornography on it.
A search warrant was obtained for the computer and it was analyzed by Det. Sgt. Mike Danneffel, a forensic computer analyst with the Berrien County Sheriff's Department.
Pornographic images and movies were located on the computer during the examination. The images and movies were examined by a doctor qualified as an expert in determining a person's age from the recovered evidence. It was determined that two images and two movies containing pornographic material were of an underage female.
Following the investigation by the Berrien Springs Oronoko Township Police Department and the Berrien County Sheriff's Department with assistance from the FBI, Berrien County Prosecutor Art Cotter authorized a warrant for Jeremy Park as specified, which was then issued by the Berrien County Trial Court.
This case remains under investigation.