INDIANAPOLIS — A judge has ordered that a former Zionsville firefighter paramedic serve eight years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography.
Daniel Stevens, 48, worked at the Zionsville Fire Department and an Indianapolis hospital and used their internet connections to share pornographic images of children via social media, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
This happened "unbeknownst to his employers and without their consent," prosecutors said.
Prosecutors alleged that Stevens used his tablet to store thousands of pornographic images of prepubescent children, including infants, babies and toddlers — and viewed and saved "sadomasochistic" sexual abuse of children.
As part of his sentence, Stevens will have to pay $12,000 in restitution to each of the victims who were in the images he shared. He'll also be on probation for 10 years after his release and will have to register as a sex offender.
Stevens was arrested and charged in May 2021 after police received a tip that he uploaded child pornography on Twitter.
The investigation started after a Lebanon Police Department captain received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, officials have said. Several agencies served search warrants at a home in Whitestown and at Zionsville Fire Department Station 91.
According to a statement the Town of Zionsville, Stevens was an engineer with the fire department. He resigned in June 2021.
WRTV Digital Content Producer Andrew Smith contributed to this report.
-
I-465 westbound closed after crash near Beech Grove
The crash occurred between Exit 52 at South Emerson Avenue and South 9th Avenue in Beech Grove, according to INDOT.
Fatal crash shuts down I-70 ramp on southwest side
A deadly crash closed the ramp from Sam Jones Expressway to eastbound I-70 on the southwest side early Thursday morning.
Hoosiers head to Georgia as fans and IU students take part in Peach Bowl
From packed flights to credentialed media coverage, Indiana supporters and journalism graduate students experience a once-in-a-lifetime postseason run.
Indiana and Oregon turn CFP Peach Bowl into celebration of Big Ten's supremacy
Undefeated No. 1 Indiana (14-0, CFP No. 1 seed) and No. 5 Oregon (13-1, CFP No. 5) have turned the CFP semifinal at Friday night's Peach Bowl into a Big Ten celebration.
