A former Tucson group foster home worker was indicted Wednesday on federal charges of distributing and possessing child pornography, court records show.
A federal grand jury indicted 27-year-old Taylor Ray Freeman on one charge of distributing child pornography and two charges of possession of child pornography, according to U.S. District Court records.
The charges stem from a Dec. 27 online chat during which Freeman told an undercover police officer that he had a βsexual interest in childrenβ and that he had naughty pictures to trade, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Tucson.
He emailed the officer a sexually explicit photo of a girl, resulting in the charge of distributing child pornography, according to the indictment.
Homeland Security Investigations agents were able to track the email to Freemanβs computer and served a federal warrant at his home Jan. 10. Agents seized a smartphone and internal hard drive, both of which contained photos and videos of child pornography. He was charged with one count of possession for each device, the indictment shows.
Pima County sheriffβs deputies arrested Freeman the same day and held him in jail for less than 24 hours before transferring him to the custody of federal authorities, Deputy Cody Gress, a Sheriffβs Department spokesman, previously told the Star.
On Jan. 11, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo P. Velaso signed a detention order, remanding Freeman to federal detention until his trial. Velasco accepted the recommendation of Pretrial Services, which decided he posed a serious flight risk, the order shows.
Freeman was hired in 2013 by local nonprofit TMM Family Services, according to Arizona Department of Child Safety records.
TMM, which provides social services outreach, runs 10 group homes for up to 53 children ages 1 to 17, according to its website.
Donald Strauch, TMMβs executive director, did not immediately respond to the Starβs inquiry as to whether Freeman had contact with children.
