Villisca man arrested for child pornography

 A Villisca man was arrested Oct. 29 for possession of child pornography and other related charges.

According to Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson, the Nashville, Tenn. police department received information of inappropriate chat room activity involving 60-year-old James McDaniel and a 16-year-old special needs female. 

The case information was then sent to the local sheriff’s office. 

Case records indicate electronic conversations were obtained at McDaniel’s Villisca residence between him and the 16-year-old female in Tennessee whom he convinced to send him nude photographs.  

Inappropriate footage of other minors was also found on McDaniel’s home laptop and on DVDs. 

According to Sampson, McDaniel made inappropriate contact to minors of various ages across the country through multiple means of electronic communication. 

There were no local victims. 

Sampson said it was a difficult case that  involved a lot of man-hours over a three-month period. Three search warrants were required to gain access to McDaniel’s residence and electronic equipment and the Internet web services tagged.com and yahoo.com. 

McDaniel has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography and dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to a minor.

Prior to his arrest, McDaniel did not have a criminal record. 

“This was just one of those things that’s been going on for a while unbeknownst to anyone locally,” Sampson said. “Without this tip, he wouldn’t have been caught.” 

McDaniel is currently being held at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $10,000 bond. 

He could be tried federally because the charges cross state lines, which Sampson said would be ideal, but the process is long. 

“It’s a horrendous crime,” Sampson said. “If anything though, it’s a blessing no one in our area was affected. This should serve as a reminder to parents and caregivers to keep an eye on what kids are doing on the Internet.”