COLUMBUS – A registered sex offender was arrested Thursday at his Dublin home on suspicion of possessing child pornography.
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Alan Patton has been charged with one count of pandering sexually oriented material Involving a minor, a felony, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said.
The arrest came after the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a tip that Patton, 68, was attempting to locate child pornography through an online search engine.
Authorities carried out a search warrant at his home where they seized multiple storage devices which led to the charge, Baldwin said.
Patton’s history includes being imprisoned in 1994 for molesting two young boys and being convicted in 2008 and 2020 on criminal mischief charges due to his collecting of urine from restrooms frequented by young boys, Baldwin said.
The investigation is ongoing and further charges are expected, Baldwin said.