A Batesville man has been charged with 28 felony counts of possessing child pornography after a coworker discovered suspected images on a phone provided to him for work purposes, according to court documents from Independence County.
Christopher George Davis, 54, was arrested on August 21 on a warrant issued by the Independence County Sheriff’s Office. He is facing 28 charges of pandering or possessing visual or print material depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Each charge is classified as a Class C felony.
An affidavit filed in Independence County Circuit Court states the investigation began when one of Davis’ coworkers used his phone to photograph trailers as part of routine work assignments. While reviewing photos on the device, the coworker reported finding what appeared to be child pornography. The coworker immediately informed a supervisor, who contacted the Batesville Police Department (BPD).
Upon responding to the business, Batesville Police seized the phone and collected a statement from the coworker, according to the affidavit. The supervisor brought Davis to speak with Officer Sam Stone. During the interaction, Stone informed Davis that the phone was being confiscated and arrested him based on the pre-existing warrant. Davis also turned over a second Android smartphone, which was seized by police.
Search warrants were later obtained for three phones owned by Davis. Investigators reportedly found child pornography on two of the devices, while the third contained no illicit material.
According to the affidavit, Davis admitted during a subsequent interview that he had been viewing child pornography for approximately two years. He also disclosed that there were over 1,000 explicit images of children on his devices and that he had both received and distributed the material.
Davis is currently being held in the Independence County Jail with bond set at $200,000.