A one-time candidate for Congress was arrested Wednesday on four child pornography charges after Missouri State Highway Patrol investigators identified a computer in his home as the source of an illegal video available online.

Nathaniel A. Irvin, 30, was arrested at about 11:30 a.m. at his home on Northampton Drive after investigators served a search warrant and found the illegal video discovered online on his computer as well as three other videos depicting sex acts with children, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Boone County Circuit Court.

Irvin was charged Thursday morning with one count of promoting child pornography and three counts of possession of child pornography. He was being held in the Boone County Jail with bond set at $20,000.

Irvin, using the nickname Nate Irvin, ran unsuccessfully in 2014 as the Democratic nominee for the Fourth Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville. He was the campaign manager for 2018 Democratic candidate Renee Hoagenson until he was charged with driving while intoxicated in October 2017.

In the affidavit, Cpl. Patrick Sublette stated that he was searching BitTorrent for offenders sharing child pornography on Feb. 26 when he connected to a device that allowed him to download a video of an adult woman and a young child. Sublette traced the device’s unique internet address to Irvin’s home from records provided by Socket, the Columbia-based internet company, he wrote.

The computer in Irvin’s home office was the device with that address, Sublette wrote, and a forensic examiner searched it, finding the file-sharing software used when the video was downloaded. Sublette wrote that he saw three videos, all involving children younger than 5, as well as the video discovered online.

Irvin was interviewed at the scene, Sublette wrote, and admitted using the file-sharing software and ownership of the computer. Irvin denied downloading the child pornography, Sublette wrote.

If released on bond, Irvin will be restricted from contact with anyone under 17 and will not be allowed to possess or use any device capable of digital storage or accessing the internet.

An initial arraignment was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Irvin is scheduled to go on trial for the 2017 DWI case in June.

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

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