A man who allegedly uploaded pornographic photos and videos of young children while at home, work and church appeared this week before a federal judge in Texarkana.
James Thomas Tucker, a resident of Bogata in Red River County, Texas, appeared Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Bryant for an initial appearance in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas on a criminal complaint charging him with transportation of child pornography. Bryant appointed a public defender to represent Tucker.
Tucker was released on an appearance bond.
According to the complaint, an investigation into Tucker began in June 2020 after a tip was received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child pornography being uploaded through the Kik instant messaging application from May 9, 2020, to May 20, 2020. FBI investigators determined that the user uploading the images did so from IP addresses associated with a grocery store in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, where Tucker worked in 2020 and a church Tucker attended in Bogata.
Using information acquired from a subpoena for cell phone providers
, investigators were able to determine where the phone was when the images were uploaded.
The complaint specifically identifies images depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent girls.
FBI agents searched Tucker’s home in Bogata on Dec. 17. According to the complaint, two other adults and several small children were at the home when the search warrant was executed.
Tucker allegedly agreed to speak with investigators at the time of the search and allegedly admitted to viewing and exchanging child porn on Kik for approximately a year.
“The defendant said he liked to look at ‘young stuff,'” the complaint states. “The defendant defined young as being anywhere from zero to fourteen years old.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Hornok is representing the U.S. government in the case.
