Butler County man facing nearly 30 federal charges in child porn case

BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A man is facing nearly 30 federal charges following a child porn investigation.

Christopher Harness, 50, was found using a chat room in May 2023 to post sexual images of children, according to federal court records.

A homeland security special agent was the one who found Harness in the chat room, the documents explain.

That led to investigators getting a search warrant for Harness’ home, according to the records.

When investigators went there in June, they say Harness came outside with a phone in his hand.

That phone contained graphic images of children younger than 10, the court records explain.

Prosecutors say they also found evidence the 50-year-old forced a minor to take part in sexual acts so he could take graphic photos and videos of the minor.

Court records say it happened at least 25 times between July 2019 and June 2023.

Harness is set to appear in federal court next Tuesday on charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child porn.

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