Kentucky State Police Charges Estill County Man With Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses
IRVINE, Ky. (April 21, 2025) — On April 17, 2025, at approximately 3:45 p.m., the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch interviewed and arrested Austin Grey Owens, 25, on charges related to a child sexual abuse material investigation.
Owens was located, interviewed, and arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation. The KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect uploading sexually explicit images of juveniles to one of his social media accounts.
The investigation resulted in executing a search warrant for him and his residence in Irvine on April 17, 2025. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation is still ongoing.
Owens is currently charged with 20 counts of possessing matter portraying a minor under the age of 12 in a sexual performance and one count of distributing matter portraying a minor under the age of 12 in a sexual performance. These charges are both Class-C felonies punishable by five to ten years in prison. Austin Owens was lodged in the Three Forks Regional Jail.
The Kentucky Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is comprised of more than twenty-six local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The mission of the ICAC Task Force, created by the United States Department of Justice and administrated by the Kentucky State Police, is to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in developing a response to cyber enticement and child sexual abuse material investigations. This support encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, prevention and community education. The ICAC program was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the internet, the proliferation of child sexual abuse material, and the heightened online activity of predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.
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