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39-year-old attorney Stephen Chinn has reportedly been arrested on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. According to court records, he was charged with two felony counts of pandering s*xually oriented material involving a minor.
Trigger warning: The article contains references of s*xual abuse to minors and child p*rnography. Readers' discretion is advised.
The arrest took place after Chinn faced accusations of possessing child p*rnography. Additionally, police found evidence in Chinn's electronic devices that included content related to "prepubescent females engaged in s*xual acts."
Chinn worked in the Municipal Court unit of the Franklin County Public Defender's office. He is currently been held in the Franklin County Jail, and his first court appearance had been scheduled for Thursday, August 17, 2023.
Stephen Chinn has been arrested for allegedly possessing child p*rnography in several electronic devices at home
Attorney Stephen Chinn has been taken into custody for allegedly possessing child p*rnography materials in multiple electronic devices at his home.
"[E]lectronic evidence was recovered at the scene depicting pre-pubescent females engaged in s*xual acts. Investigators observed numerous files believed to be illegal images and/or videos of juveniles in a state of nudity or being s*xually abused."
It was further revealed that on August 2, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit provided information regarding possible possession of child p*rnography materials to Grandview Heights Police.
According to court records, authorities received an initial tip that mentioned two folders, one of which included a "collage photo with 12 images." Officials then issued a search warrant to look for evidence at 39-year-old Stephen Chinn's residence before they arrested him. Grandview Heights police said:
"[There were] numerous files believed to be illegal images and/or videos of juveniles in a state of nudity or being s*xually abused."
Police further stated:
"There is no reason to believe the suspect had direct contact with any juveniles depicted in the images observed by law enforcement."
An forensic review has to be conducted, and police have confirmed that Stephen Chinn might be facing additional charges related to the case. The suspected attorney was initially working in a private law firm called Burkett and Sanderson and later joined the Franklin County Public Defender's office. News outlets had tried reaching out to the public Defender's Office. However, they have got no response as of this writing.
The case is currently under investigation, and police are trying to find more leads in the case. They have confirmed that they believe that Chinn did not have direct contact with the minor girls whose pictures have been found on his electronic devices. Stephen Chinn currently faces two felony counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor.
In a separate incident that allegedly took place in April, Palm Beach attorney Michael Dolce was accused of possessing child p*rnography. The irony in the case was that Dolce's firm represented victims of s*x crimes. Reportedly, around 1,997 inappropriate videos and images were found on Dolce's devices.
