BG man charged with having child sex abuse material

William Straut, 51, was charged with 20 counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.

According to the Bowling Green Police Department, detectives received an online tip March 14 from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Police said the tip contained 49 images of child sex exploitation accessed by an internet account registered to Straut.

Detectives interviewed Straut at his home on Scottsville Road, during which Straut acknowledged searching for and accessing pornographic sites and denied having any desire to look at images of children, an arrest citation said.

Straut allowed a BGPD detective to look at his cellphone and desktop computer and to download the information on his phone, and he was unable to explain how he had accessed the illicit images that appeared on his phone, his citation said.