(Fort Wayne, IN)-A 19 year old Fort Wayne man was arrested on eight felony charges earlier today following a three month long investigation into various crimes against children allegations. An undercover investigation into peer-to-peer file sharing conducted by the Indiana State Police resulted in the execution of a search warrant at the man’s Fort Wayne residence by member agencies of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force which include the Indiana State Police, Fort Wayne Police Department and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Investigators arrested 19 year old Erik Leigh Hayden without incident and he has been preliminarily charged by the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office with the following:
• 8 counts of Child Exploitation, a level 5 felony
Investigators credit the collaborative effort of all of the agencies involved, especially that of the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office in this complex and highly technical criminal investigation.
All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty in a Court of Law.
