Carmel Man Faces Child Porn Charges

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A referral from Texas led to the arrest of a Carmel man accused of sharing child sex abuse material on the internet, said Putnam Sheriff Robert Langley, Jr.

Members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office began a joint investigation with Texas law enforcement officers and identified a suspect.

They executed a search warrant Sept. 17 at the home of Brian Lockhart.

K9 Hannah, the department’s electronics detection dog, assisted in the execution of the search warrant that resulted in the recovery of over a dozen devices, Langley reported.

Lockhart, 44, was charged with four counts of promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child under 17 years old.

Because so many devices were seized, the digital forensics examination process is ongoing. There could be more charges or investigations initiated.

Langley credited the office’s affiliation with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force run by New York State police with making the joint investigation efficient and effective.