March 26, 2024 Press Release from the United States Department of Justice: TOLEDO – Samuel Kurp, age 29, of Oregon, Ohio was sentenced to thirteen years imprisonment by U.S. District Judge James R. Knepp, II after earlier pleading guilty to receipt and distribution of child pornography. Kurp was also ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution and to serve 15 years of supervised release following his release from imprisonment.
According to court documents, on various dates from April to June 2020, Kurp, who was then employed as a Police Officer with the Village of Elmore, used the social media applications KiK and Snapchat to distribute child pornography images and videos to other users. Based on the IP addresses used, investigators were able to determine that Kurp had committed this child pornography activity while on duty as a police officer and while off duty at his parents’ residence where he lived at that time.
On August 10, 2020, a search warrant was executed at Kurp’s residence in Elmore, Ohio where he had just moved. A forensic examination of Kurp’s cellular phone revealed images and videos of child pornography, some of which depicted prepubescent minors and toddlers engaged in sex acts.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI, Toledo and the Northwest Ohio Crimes Against Children Task Force, with the assistance of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Tracey Ballard Tangeman and Angelita Cruz Bridges.
