Austin man accused of child pornography tells police he plans to report others – ABC 6 News

(ABC 6 News) – An Austin man charged with possession and distribution of child pornography allegedly told police he planned to report other Kik users for sharing child pornography.

According to court documents, police found no evidence that 25-year-old Jared Michael Bednar reported Kik users to the app or law enforcement.
However, they located messages from Bednar requesting child pornography and sharing it with others, according to court documents.

In October 2024, Austin police received a cyber tip about a Kik user who uploaded over 100 files of suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or child pornography.

The tips had similar IP addresses and the email included the term “xenon” with the username “Jared Bednar”.

According to court documents, IP addresses linked to some of the CSAM uploads led to a home in Austin, as well as the Austin Country Club on 28th Street NE and another business on 17th Avenue.

Both companies used the same cleaning service that employs Bednar.

In November, Austin police allegedly reviewed Bednar’s Kik account history and chat logs, which included conversations about the sale and exchange of child pornography.

When law enforcement discussed the Kik account with Bednar, Bednar allegedly claimed he used the account to search for adult pornography, then said he had received CSAM files from other people but wanted to “get evidence of them ” and will then report users to block them. from the app.

“The defendant later admitted that he also saved CSAM files to his phone gallery because his Kik account was banned,” court documents state.

Law enforcement seized Bednar’s phone, then found two more iPhones, an HP laptop, a desktop tower and an external hard drive — all of which were sent to the BCA for examination.

His next hearing is scheduled for December 26.