By Moses Leos III
A Kyle man was arrested Thursday after authorities allege he was promoting child pornography online, with an investigation discovering “multiple” images on devices within his home.
Joshua Ramirez, 24, of Kyle, was booked into the Hays County Jail Aug. 26 on a charge of Possession with intent to promote Child Pornography, which is a second-degree felony. He was released on the same day on $75,000 bond.
According to a Kyle Police probable cause affidavit, Kyle Police received a package from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children July 25 containing reports of child pornography, which were submitted to Skype from the same Internet Protocol address and user name.
The reports had 15 images that were “clearly child pornography involving prepubescent male and female children,” according to the affidavit. A detective was given an IP address from where the images were uploaded. Following a subpoena to Time Warner Cable, authorities discovered the IP address was from a home in the 100 block of Stetson Cove in Kyle.
According to the affidavit, the detective drove by the home and observed a pickup truck in the driveway that was owned by Ramirez, whose first name was part of the user name that uploaded the images.
Authorities obtained a search warrant July 28 and began searching for evidence.
Ramirez, who agreed to an interview with the detective, said he believed authorities were there because he “sent some pictures to a friend” of some “anime stuff.”
After authorities told Ramirez they weren’t there for “anime stuff,” Ramirez allegedly said he sent “illegal stuff,” with Ramirez clarifying it was child pornography.
According to the affidavit, Ramirez said he obtained the images “over the years” from the internet, specifically the site 4Chan. He said images were sent to “a friend online” through Skype.
Authorities seized nine items from the home, including several cell phones, a USB drive, SD card and two laptops.
Investigators allegedly found “multiple” images containing child pornography on three of the items, including a Samsung Galaxy S6 cell phone.
