BEAVER, Utah, March 10, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Beaver man is facing 10 charges of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor after an investigation that began last July, officials said.
Brandon Anton Vetsch, 33, was arrested Thursday, according to a probable cause statement from the 5th District Court in Beaver.
The statement says that on July 31, 2018, Tumblr filed a report with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to report one of its users had uploaded child pornography images to their Tumblr account. On Aug. 22, 2018, the complaint was reviewed.
“Within the report, Tumblr reported the suspect’s email address and geo-located the suspect to the Beaver County area, using the captured IP address,” the statement said. “A Special Agent reviewed the images and confirmed they were child pornography. A total of 50 images were included in the report.”
The images found on the initial report are of a variety of prepubescent children, girls and boys approximately 4 to 10 years old, the statement said. The children are depicted performing sexual acts and in sexual situations.
“A judicial order was sent to the Internet service provider and the subscriber information came back to a residence in the Beaver County area,” the statement said. “A search warrant was drafted and served at the location in Beaver County.”
An interview was conducted with Vetsch, who admitted that the Tumblr account belonged to him and he uploaded the images of child pornography in July, the statement said. Vetsch admitted to viewing child pornography even before the actual report that came in.
Vetsch is being held at Beaver County Jail with his bail set at $100,000.
