San Angelo Man Arrested for Gross Images of Children on His Home Computer

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS -- On Friday, June 2,  the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office arrested and booked a 59-year-old man who intentionally and knowingly possessed child pornography. 

The 59-year-old man, Ricky Lynn Miller, was caught in possession of visual material that depicted children under the age of 18 engaging in sexual conduct. The arrest came after a peace officer employed by the Tom Green County (TGC) Sheriff's Office and assigned to the Criminal Investigation's Division, conducted an investigation using a Peer to Peer (P2P) file sharing program to find internet users who possess and distribute "child pornographic images and movies in violation of Texas Penal Code 43.26," read Miller's indictment. The peace officer further used eDonkey2000 (eD2K) and Kademlia (Kad) public file sharing networks to aid in his investigation. 

On May 22, 2017, at approximately 8:20 p.m. the peace officer observed a computer using an AVI image file, known to the peace officer from previous investigations, containing possible child pornography. A short time thereafter, the peace officer downloaded the file from the remote host computer with an Internet Protocol (IP) address ending in 780. As the peace officer opened the downloaded document, he observed the title to contain sexual graphic descriptions involving a 6-year-old female.  When the peace officer opened the AVI file, the peace officer observed that a female child "approximately under the age of eight years old" had been filmed while an adult male's hand inappropriately touches the female. 

On May 23, 2017, the same peace officer, using his file sharing networks, again observed a host computer at the IP address ending in 780, sharing a file of pornographic images at 4:15 a.m. As the peace officer downloaded the digital AVI file, the file name alluded to a 6-year-old female engaging in sexual conduct. As the AVI file was opened, the video depicted a dark haired male sexually and inappropriately touching a female "approximately under the age of thirteen year old."  Then, on the same day, at 11:43 a.m., the peace officer observed the same host computer at the IP address ending in 780, sharing another file believed to contain pornographic images. As the peace officer downloaded the MPG file he observed the file to contain images of two female children, "approximately thirteen years old and the other approximately ten years of age" being filmed touching each other in a sexual manner. 

The above video files viewed by the host computer were all in violation of Texas Penal Code 43.26.  After downloading the first file on May 22, the peace officer drafted a Grand Jury Subpoena and submitted it to the TGC's Assistant District Attorney Ashley Knight. The subpoena was then presented to Suddenlink Communications. The subpoena requested user information for the IP address ending in 780. On May 26, Suddenlink Communications responded and indicated that the IP address ending in 780 belonged to a Ricky Miller who, at the time of the arrest, resided in an apartment complex located on E 29th Street. 

A search warrant was issued a short time later, and on May 31, the peace officer and other members of the TCG Sheriff's Office conducted a search warrant. Evidence from Miller's computer was seized. During the search and seize of Miller's apartment, the peace officer questioned Miller. 

The peace officer asked Miller if "he knew why a search warrant was being executed, and evidence was being seized from his computer." Miller responded that he knew why. When the peace officer further asked if he was in possession of child pornography, Miller state that "he was in possession of child pornography."

Crime Scene Analyst, Dustin Gore, performed a forensic search on Miller's laptop and located a file depicting children "approximately 3-5 years of age being videoed during a lewd [sexual] exhibition" and a second file with an adult male and child approximately seven years of age, an adult male and a female child approximately seven year of age,  and an adult male and a six year old female, engaging in sexual conduct. 

Miller was arrested and booked into the Tom Green County Jail on Friday. His bond was set at $75,000.