BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A 66-year-old Beckley man has been charged with possession of child pornography following an investigation by the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Raleigh County Magistrate Court, Douglas Dwayne Odham, 66, of Beckley, was arrested July 15 after troopers executed a residential search warrant at his apartment on Woodlawn Avenue.
The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded a CyberTip to the West Virginia State Police involving a Google account. According to the complaint, the tip stemmed from an image that had been uploaded to the account.
Troopers obtained administrative subpoenas for the Google account and associated internet service records. While the initial Google subpoena did not provide information that furthered the investigation, records obtained from Optimum internet service linked the account to a residence on Woodlawn Avenue in Beckley, according to the complaint.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the Google account. The complaint states that troopers reviewing the account discovered what they described as a large quantity of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), including more than 300 images and videos depicting prepubescent children. The complaint also alleges investigators found search history and websites related to child sexual abuse material and located the image referenced in the original CyberTip.
According to the complaint, troopers then secured a residential search warrant for the Beckley apartment. During the search on July 15, investigators allegedly found child sexual abuse material on two cellular devices that were seized as evidence.
The complaint states Odham agreed to speak with investigators after being advised of his Miranda rights. According to the complaint, he admitted he had been searching for and downloading child sexual abuse material for years and estimated he had obtained approximately 4,000 images over that time.
Odham was charged with one felony count of possession of child pornography. He was transported to the West Virginia State Police Beckley Detachment for processing before being taken to Raleigh County Magistrate Court for arraignment.
He is currently being held at Southern Regional Jail on a $75,000 bond.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint have not been proven in court, and Odham is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
