Two Jeffersonville Men Arrested on Separate Child Exploitation Charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two Jeffersonville men are facing multiple felony charges after separate investigations uncovered evidence of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials, according to the Jeffersonville Police Department.

Detectives with the department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit began two unrelated investigations earlier this year — one in July and another in September — after receiving cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Search warrants were executed on Oct. 28 at two residences — one in the Jackson Heights neighborhood and another at the Orchard Hills Apartment Complex. With assistance from the Indiana State Police ICAC Task Force, investigators seized numerous digital devices and storage media containing illegal materials.

After reviewing the evidence, detectives arrested 31-year-old Michael Tackett of Jeffersonville on 20 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, all classified as Level 5 felonies. Tackett entered a not guilty plea during his Oct. 31 court appearance and remains held on a $25,000 bond. His next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5.

A neighbor, Isaiah Anthony, expressed shock at the arrest, saying, “I thought he was a good guy. I’d see him outside playing with his kids — it’s a shock to me.”

In a separate case, police arrested 21-year-old Benjamin Cawthorn on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and two counts of child exploitation, all Level 4 felonies. Cawthorn appeared in court on Nov. 10, where a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and is ordered to have no contact with minors. His next court date is Dec. 9.

The Clarksville Police Department assisted with both investigations.

This report was compiled using information gathered from law enforcement statements, official press releases, and publicly available news sources.

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