Morgan County man faces child porn charges

GRAVOIS MILLS, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Morgan County man faces three counts of possessing child pornography after law enforcement claims it found more than 40 images on his hard drive, according to a probable cause statement.

A Morgan County Sheriff’s Office detective was tipped off on Sept. 15 by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children that an IP address uploaded child pornography somewhere on the internet. It was later determined the IP address belonged to Tim Benson, 73, of Gravois Mills, the statement said.

The sheriff’s office executed a search warrant on Sept. 22. Benson told law enforcement that he had not viewed child pornography, but could have by accident while looking at other pornography, according to the statement.. The detective asked to see his phone but Benson said it was at his daughter’s residence in Iowa.

The detective searched Benson’s computer while he was present and did not find anything at the time but noticed the recycle bin on the desktop was empty. The computer was given to the Missouri Digital Forensic Center for examination.

On Oct. 18, the forensic center determined there were several dozen images containing child pornography on Benson’s hard drive.

A warrant was issued for Benson’s arrest on Wednesday. A $100,000 bond was set.