Estill County man charged with child sexual exploitation offenses

IRVINE, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — A 25-year-old Estill County man is behind bars on multiple child sexual exploitation charges following an investigation by the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch.

According to a release from KSP, Austin Grey Owens was arrested on April 17 after being interviewed by investigators. His arrest came as a result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation.

KSP says the investigation began after they discovered Owens uploading sexually explicit images of juveniles to one of his social media accounts. A search warrant was executed for Owens and his residence in Irvine, where investigators seized equipment believed to have been used to facilitate the alleged crimes. That equipment has been sent to KSP’s forensic laboratory for examination. The investigation remains ongoing.

Owens is currently facing 20 counts of possession of matter portraying a minor under the age of 12 in a sexual performance and one count of distribution of such material. All charges are Class-C felonies, each carrying a potential sentence of five to ten years in prison.

He is being held in the Three Forks Regional Jail.