Adam Souders
A joint investigation with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office and the Cleveland Police Department have resulted in a grand jury indictment of Adam Dylan Souders, 22, of Cleveland.
Bradley County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division Lieutenant David Shoemaker and Cleveland Police Department Detective Cody Hinson, who are assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce (I.C.A.C.), served a search warrant on a residence while conducting an investigation into the distribution of child pornography. Both investigators discovered that Souders was in possession of over 150,000 images and 12,000 videos of suspected child pornography, which included images of Souders taking pictures of himself sexually assaulting a three year-old child.
Souders has been charged with one count of rape of a child, while a federal prosecution is being sought for the manufacture, distribution, and possession of child pornography.
Sheriff Eric Watson said, “In today’s world, the reality is that there are individuals exploiting children over the internet, to include sharing child pornography. Sadly, the thousands of images and videos that were shared by Souders portrayed victimized children. The primary goal of Bradley County Sheriff Office’s and Cleveland Police Department’s participation with the I.C.A.C. taskforce is to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually assault and exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. Both detectives should be commended for their investigation that yielded in an arrest and the seizure of a mass quantity of child pornography.”