Butler County Sheriff: Child porn investigation 'should send chills down your spine'

Madeline Mitchell | Cincinnati Enquirer

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said it is "one of the worst cases of child pornography" his agency has ever investigated.

Children as young as 8 months old are victims, Jones said at a news conference Tuesday. There are thousands of videos detectives are currently investigating.

"It's the most terrible thing I have ever seen, and I have seen pretty terrible things," Jones said.

Trevor Fraley, 24, was arrested Nov. 13 on drug-related charges, police said. His electronic devices were seized.

Fraley was released on bond Sunday, Nov. 17 and then charged again the next day with two counts of child pornography as a result of the investigation. Jones said he is confident that Fraley will face many more charges, potentially up to 100.

On Friday, Fraley's indictment was released containing 101 charges of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

Some charges contained graphic file names for the videos or photos. The Enquirer is not publishing the file names.

[ Want to stay in the loop on all things Cincinnati? Download our app. ]

Fraley is currently being held in the Middletown jail.

Three children were found at the home in Middletown during Fraley's arrest, police said. The children are now in a secure location and will be evaluated.

Jones said he is considering asking for federal help in the investigation.

"We have never seen anything like this, ever," he said during the press conference.

Jones said the videos and images found on Fraley's computer show children and babies, young enough to be in diapers, being molested.

Jones said talking about the investigation "gives me chills down my spine" and that it should do the same for anyone listening.

The investigation is in the beginning stages, Jones said. It is not yet clear if Fraley was involved in creating the videos. Detectives have already viewed over 100 of the videos, though Jones said there are thousands downloaded to Fraley's devices.

Police could not confirm if the children were local. Detectives are trying to determine where the videos were recorded.

"I feel sorry for my employees, my detectives, who have to view this," Jones said.

According to Jones, detectives are taking an "all hands on deck" approach with this investigation. Anyone with information about Fraley or this investigation are encouraged to call the Butler County Sheriff's Office at 513-785-1000.

[ Subscribe now for unlimited access to Cincinnati.com ]