UPDATE: A Webster County man is accused of rape and sodomy.
Kentucky State Police recently arrested Damien K. Belt, 31, of Clay, on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
Police said that two juveniles were identified and interviewed through an investigation. During the interviews, police said Belt was accused of multiple incidents of rape and sodomy that allegedly occurred for more than a year.
During a search of Belt’s electronic devices, police said digital evidence was recovered supporting these claims.
Belt was charged Sunday with three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor, illegal sex act with a minor under 16, three counts of use of a minor under 16 in a sexual performance. Belt is also charged with three counts of third-degree sodomy and three counts of second-degree rape.
These charges are in addition to ones made last week, including: thirty-three counts of distribution of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance under 12 years old, thirty-three counts of possession of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance under 12 years old (Class-C felonies punishable by five to ten years in prison) and two counts of promoting a minor under 16 in a sexual performance (Class-B felonies punishable by ten to twenty years in prison).
Belt is lodged in the Webster County Detention Center. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
CLAY, Ky. (March 15, 2023) — The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch arrested Damien K. Belt, 31, of Clay, on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
Belt was arrested as the result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation. The Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the suspect sharing images of child sexual exploitation online.
The investigation resulted in a search warrant at a residence in Clay on March 14. Equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation is ongoing.
Belt is currently charged with thirty-three counts of distribution of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance under 12 years old, thirty-three counts of possession of matter portraying a minor in a sexual performance under 12 years old (Class-C felonies punishable by five to ten years in prison) and two counts of promoting a minor under 16 in a sexual performance (Class-B felonies punishable by ten to twenty years in prison).
Belt was lodged in the Webster County Detention Center.