Prosecutor: Child porn case is largest he’s seen
ZANESVILLE — A Zanesville man was indicted on 51 counts and may face more in what the county prosecutor said is the biggest child pornography-related case he’s seen.
A Muskingum County grand jury indicted Virgil E. Fleece on Wednesday on 51 charges of pandering in obscene material involving a minor. Each of the 51 counts is a fourth-degree felony, which carries a maximum 18-year prison sentence.
Fleece, 56, is scheduled for arraignment in common pleas court next week.
Fleece was arrested Aug. 25 at his home at 2129 Tannehill St. after police executed a search warrant, which uncovered pictures and videos depicting sexual acts involving children, Police Chief Ken Miller has said.
“This is the biggest collection of child porn I’ve ever seen,” Muskingum County Prosecutor Mike Haddox said Wednesday.
The investigation is ongoing, and Fleece could face additional charges as authorities review the seized materials, Haddox said.
The indictment alleges that Fleece did “buy, procure, possess or control any obscene material, that has a minor as one of its participants.”
One charge listed on the indictment accuses Fleece of possessing a CD of child pornography labeled “CP & Doggies.”
The remaining counts all allege that Fleece possessed photographs depicting a female child performing some sort of sexual act with an adult male.
At least one image included a female toddler, according to the indictment. Others showed two men with one female child, and a female child wearing silver spikes around her neck, the indictment stated.
In two cases, the female in the image appeared to be crying during the act, according to the indictment.
“Unfortunately (these type of cases are) becoming more common,” Haddox said. “Usually these people are fairly private about what they’re doing.”
Haddox said he could not release further details at this time.
Fleece was arrested last week after the Zanesville Special Response Team executed a search warrant at his home home. The search uncovered a “very large amount” of videos and pictures depicting child pornography, Miller said at the time. Police also reported they seized nine guns, including shotguns, rifles and handguns.
Fleece is not listed as a registered sex offender and has no previous criminal history, according to county court records.
There are 124 active registered sex offenders living in the county, according to an online database on the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office’s website. It’s part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office’s electronic sex offender registration network, called eSORN.
elagatta@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com
740-450-6753
Twitter: @EricLagatta