Detectives said Kevin Hartgrove, 45, had hundreds of images of child pornography, including videos of underage girls having sex called Jailbait July.
HOUSTON — A church youth ministry volunteer went to jail Wednesday on child porn charges, Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen announced Thursday.
Kevin Hartgrove, 45, was arrested at his home by detectives with Constable Precinct One’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit.
Detectives said Kevin Hartgrove had hundreds of images of child pornography, including videos of underage girls having sex called Jailbait July. According to court documents, the victims were as young as 9 years old.
Hartgrove is a divorced father of a 9-year-old child who works in Internet Technology for a Pasadena company.
Precinct 1 didn’t say which church Hartgrove worked at as a youth counselor, but they said there’s no evidence that any children from the church were involved in the crimes.
Even so, Precinct One said the case is another reminder of the potential for the exploitation of children by people close to them, since many child pornography videos are recorded by people children have been taught to trust.
Hartgrove could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted of the first and second-degree felony counts of possession of child pornography.
“Let this be a warning to anyone who sexually exploits children: our deputies are patrolling cyberspace and they will catch you,” Rosen said.
A magistrate set Hartgrove’s bond at $20,000.
Detectives ask anyone who has information about the defendant and inappropriate contact with children to contact the Harris County Constable Precinct One Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at 713-222-4929.