Docs: Shelbyville man used Kik accounts to share videos, photos of sexual conduct involving minors

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — A Shelbyville man has been charged after he reportedly used two Kik accounts to share more than 1,700 images and videos with other users, several of which contained sexual conduct involving minors.

According to court documents filed on Tuesday in Shelby County, 58-year-old Terry Wadsworth has been charged with:

• Five counts of child exploitation, each a Level 4 felony
• Two counts of child exploitation, each a Level 5 felony
• One misdemeanor count of unauthorized distribution of an intimate image.

In June 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported a Kik account that reportedly uploaded a file of child pornography. In February, the center received information of another Kik account that reportedly uploaded child porn to the site.

The documents stated that the files allegedly included a video of an adult engaging in sexual conduct with a minor, as well as photos of suspected minors. The accounts also included conversations with other users about “sexual fantasies,” some of which involved minors.

During the investigation into the two accounts, investigators with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found files of a man who police allege is Wadsworth. The documents stated that officials later found Wadsworth’s address, as well as the vehicles currently linked to Wadsworth.

On March 13, the Indiana State Police SWAT team conducted a search of Wadsworth’s home in Shelbyville. Officials reportedly found and seized multiple phones, as well as other electronic devices.

In an interview with IMPD, Wadsworth reportedly told officers that he had been on Kik, but recently deleted his account because “it was not for him.”

“(Wadsworth) said he was on and off Kik in different groups and said it ‘went the other direction,'” the documents read. “He said there were groups on there that he participated in and there were some real perverted groups. Wadsworth said stuff that he wasn’t interested in.”

The documents said that when Wadsworth was asked if he was talking with others in the groups, he replied “some, and then said he needed an attorney.”

If convicted of a Level 4 felony, Wadsworth could face up to 12 years in prison.