PARSONS — A Parsons man was arrested this week after child porn images were allegedly found on his cell phone.
Joshua David Poling, 34, is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, less than 50 images. He is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $6,000 bond.
According to the criminal complaint, prepared by Senior Trooper C.D. Harper of the West Virginia State Police, police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Feb. 21, 2023. The tip stated a juvenile reported that “a man who at first claimed to be 20 but admitted to being 32 is sending me sexually graphic images and messages” including photos of a supposedly underage girl.
The tip said the man’s first name was Josh and he was communicating using Instagram, the complaint states. The juvenile stated, “He has been consistently asking me for nude photos and I have proof and pictures of the messages he sent me. He’s been very cautious by not showing me what he looks like, telling me his last name or exact location.”
Harper’s investigation led him to Poling’s residence in September 2023, according to the complaint. Poling told the officer he had not used an Instagram account “in years,” and that the last time he had, the account “acted like it had been hacked.” Poling produced his phone and showed the officer that Instagram was not installed on the device.
Harper asked about the phone’s “trash” and Poling said it just contained “deleted porn,” the complaint states, adding, “At this time, Mr. Poling appeared to become nervous.” Harper seized Poling’s phone as evidence.
A West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory Report stated Poling’s phone contained 34 images of “child sexual abuse material,” according to the complaint.
