Porter County-A Valparaiso man was arrested today on ten felony charges of child pornography and child exploitation and taken to the Porter County Jail in Valparaiso.
Indiana State Police Crimes Against Children Unit Detective Jennifer Richmond received information in early 2014 that led to an investigation in April 2014 on Michael Tichenor Junior, 33 of Valparaiso. Allegedly Tichenor was contacting juvenile boys on popular social media sites and having inappropriate sexual interactions with them. Over the course of the investigation it was discovered that Tichenor
allegedly traded nude images with several of them. Additional investigation led to a search warrant being executed today, December 16, 2014, on Tichenor’s residence at 372 Radcliff Drive, Valparaiso.
Charges:
Eight (8) counts of Child Pornography a Level 6 Felony
Two (2) counts of Child Exploitation a Level 5 Felony
Tichenor was taken and incarcerated at the Porter County Jail.
The Crimes Against Children Unit would like to remind parents to:
Talk to your children about on-line dangers
Spend time with your children on-line
Educate yourself about their favorite on-line sites
Keep their computer in a common room where its visible to a parent or another household member
Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software
Randomly check your child’s on-line accounts and e-mail
Understand, even if your child is involved in any form of sexual exploitation, that they are not at fault and are the victim. Call your local police department immediately.
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All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Photo is of Michael Tichenor Jr
