Mr Crafty Pants YouTuber: Michael David Booth who has over 594k YouTube subscribers arrested on 29 child pornography charges
A YouTuber has been arrested on 29 child pornography charges.
Michael David Booth, 39, known on YouTube as “Mr. Crafty Pants,” who has over 594,000 subscribers, was arrested on 22 October. He was arrested on nearly 30 child pornography-related charges after authorities said he allegedly shared child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online through the Kik app.
Court documents from the office of Kentucky’s attorney general show that a tip had been sent to law enforcement reporting that files containing illicit material involving children were allegedly being sent from Booth’s Kik account between 5 and 7 August. Investigators wrote that a search warrant carried out on the suspect’s Kik account returned two “selfie-type” photos of Booth, allegedly indicating that he was running the account.
An arrest citation alleges that Booth sent files of children under age 12 to Kik users “on at least 10 occasions,” and sent files of children over age 12 but under age 18 to other users “on at least 15 occasions.” He was arrested on Wednesday and charged with:
- 10 counts of distributing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under age 12
- 15 counts of distributing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor over age 12 but under age 18
- Three counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under 12
- Possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor over age 12 but under age 18 – first offense
Court records show that Booth appeared in Jefferson County District Court on Thursday. WDRB wrote that he entered a plea of not guilty on all charges.
Authorities noted that the court ordered Booth not to have any contact with children or access to the internet or social media. According to his YouTube channel, Booth’s last video was published over four months ago.
He was lodged in the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on a $100,000 cash bond. He’ will appear in court on Friday 31 October for a preliminary hearing.