From staff reports
A Franklin man is facing more than 400 felony counts of child pornography.
Franklin city police said in a criminal complaint they received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of possession of child pornography connected to an IP address associated with a residence on Chestnut Street in Franklin.
After verifying that the flagged video was child pornography, police went to speak with John Spaulding, 41, who lived at the Chestnut Street residence, the complaint said.
When police asked Spaulding if he had received anything inappropriate that could be considered child pornography he said yes, adding that he had lots of pornography on his phone, according to the complaint.
Police also discovered screenshots of chats and messages “of a sexual nature” Spaulding exchanged with minors, including an 11-year-old girl he sent an obscene picture to even though she had told him she was only 11 years old, the complaint said.
Spaulding has been charged with 427 felony counts of child pornography and two felony counts of criminal use of a communication facility.
He was arraigned Friday, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
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