‘Made a mistake’: Charges filed against Northwest Indiana man accused of child sex abuse material

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. — An Indiana man is facing felony charges after authorities say he was allegedly caught with thousands of images of child sex abuse material.

Brian Sadowski, a 56-year-old Griffith, Indiana, resident, has been charged with five counts of possession of child pornography, according to the United States Secret Service, which helped investigate the case.

The charges were handed down following a months-long investigation that eventually led members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to a computer at Sadowski’s home.

Further investigation revealed that between Feb. 25 and July 9, Sadowski allegedly downloaded images of child sexual abuse material involving young kids to a computer at his home.

In one instance, authorities said Sadowski allegedly downloaded 9,165 files from a site that offenders are known to use for sharing child sexual abuse material.

Authorities took Sadowski into custody last week, and charges against him were filed the next day.

According to authorities, following his arrest, Sadowski allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he had viewed and downloaded the material for his personal use, telling them, “I know I made a mistake,” and “I know I looked at things I shouldn’t have looked at.”

Additionally, authorities said Sadowski also allegedly wrote an apology letter to the victims following his arrest. In the letter, he said, “My loneliness or past physical abuse is not an excuse to look or seek this type of content. I know I made the mistake and take full accountability of my choices.”

Authorities did not provide a booking photo for Sadowski.