On Thursday, October 26, 2023, Investigators with the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua Paul Wayne Mackey, 46 of Mustang, on multiple charges, including Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography.  Investigators received a Cyber-Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation regarding a residence in Mustang distributing child pornography over social media.  A court order for the suspect’s IP address revealed the residence belonging to Mackey.

Investigators applied for and obtained a search warrant for Mackey’s residence to locate the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that was reported by NCMEC.  During the execution of the search warrant multiple electronic devices were located and examined on scene.  A flash drive belonging to Mackey was examined and found to have over 450 media files of CSAM.  The media examined possessed files with minor children approximately 5 to 14 years of age engaging in sexual acts with other children, adults, and of children posing nude.

A forensic examination was conducted at the scene, and investigators determined Mackey had attempted to erase and clean up the devices that he used to download CSAM.  Investigators believed Mackey did this when the social media site terminated his account for violating “terms of use.”  However, it is common for predators to save the CSAM to other locations because of their addiction to CSAM.  A thumb drive was discovered in Mackey’s bedroom possessing what is believed to be the files and downloads he had deleted and cleared from his computer. 

The investigation also determined Mackey tried to deploy various countermeasures to prevent detection.  The steps Mackey used to avoid detection included secure folders with separate passwords, virtual private networks to mask his IP address, and resetting devices to remove data.  Investigators were able to recover evidence from the devices that included an email address Mackey used to register with the social media site to download CSAM and various CSAM media files.

“I’m extremely thankful for the work of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the work they do in providing law enforcement with cyber-tips.  In this case, we were able to use their information and make Mackey’s arrest,” said Chris West, Canadian County Sheriff.  

Mackey was taken into custody at his residence for Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography and he was transported to the Canadian County Detention Center.  Since Mackey’s arrest, investigators have determined two other devices belonging to Macky contain CSAM.  Additional charges, including an additional count of Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography, will be presented to the Canadian County District Attorney’s Office.  Mackey remains in custody with a bond of two hundred thousand dollars.

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PHOTOS:      Mugshot; Sergeant David Cates, Deputy Jeff Bouillon and Major Adam Flowers escort Mackey after his arrest

AUTHORITY:

Chris West

Sheriff

Canadian County, OK