COLUMBUS – A Franklin County corrections officer faces up to 30 years in prison if he’s convicted on federal child pornography charges.
UPDATE 3/1/21 6:56 a.m.: Franklin Co. Sheriff Dallas Baldwin says Daniel Heintz received his official notice of termination on Feb.26.
Daniel Heintz, of Columbus, turned himself in Tuesday after authorities were alerted to messages Heintz sent to an Illinois man on Kik Messenger in August in which they discusses their mutual sexual interest for children and exchanged pornographic images, according to release from the office U.S. Attorney David DeVillers.
Authorities claim the 38-year-old Heintz received sexually explicit videos from the man of a girl 13 to 15 years old and allegedly discussed photographing a minor in the victim’s sleep and also talked about sexual conduct he would commit as well as sexual abuse the Illinois man could commit to the juvenile.
Law enforcement officials executed search warrants at Heintz’s and at his workplace at the Franklin County Correctional Center on S. Front Street on Feb. 11 and examination of his electronics revealed several hundred images of prepubescent minors, some as young as toddler age, engaged in explicit sexual conduct and being sexually abused, authorities said.
Heintz is charged with advertising for child pornography, a federal crime punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison. and receiving child pornography, punishable by a five-to-20-year sentence. If convicted, the crimes also carry up to a lifetime of supervised release and registration as a sex offender, DeVillers said.
Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin says Heintz will be fired.
“While everyone arrested is presumed innocent, someone charged with a felony loses the privilege of working for the people of Franklin County,” Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a statement.
Heintz was placed on administrative leave two weeks ago when Baldwin says he learned of the investigation.