July 30, 2026
Earlier today, members of the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the Toledo Police Department, executed a search warrant at a residence in Toledo as part of an ongoing investigation involving the online sexual exploitation of children.
I know there are going to be a lot of questions about who was involved, what was found, and what comes next. Those are fair questions. But right now, we’re not going to release additional details. If you’ve followed the Tama County Sheriff’s Office recently, you know we don’t hold information back just to hold it back. When we can release information responsibly, we will. I will say this. The evidence uncovered during today’s search is among the most vile, disturbing, and heinous material law enforcement investigates. That’s exactly why we’re taking our time. There are victims to protect, innocent people whose lives have been changed forever, and an investigation that deserves to be handled the right way.
For those who may be reading this and thinking we’re withholding information to protect the person under investigation, lets address that. The last person we’re interested in protecting is the offender. We’re protecting the investigation, the victims, and the innocent people who are now living with the consequences of the offender’s decisions. Our job is to build the strongest case possible and give prosecutors the best opportunity to hold that person accountable. Releasing information too early only works against that goal. That’s why we’re taking the time to do this the right way before releasing additional information.
While this is the first investigation we’ve worked as an ICAC affiliate agency, it is certainly not the first time we’ve investigated crimes against children. What this partnership does is give us additional training, resources, technology, and access to investigators across the country. Child predators don’t care where their victims live, and neither should the effort to find them.
I want to thank the Toledo Police Department for their assistance this morning. We appreciate our working relationship and know they share the same commitment to protecting children and investigating the people who prey on them.
Most importantly, I want to recognize the investigators with the ICAC Task Force who have been working this case before the Tama County Sheriff’s Office became an ICAC affiliate. They’ve spent countless hours following digital evidence, tracking leads, and building this investigation. Most people will never see the work that goes into these cases, but it’s some of the most important work being done in law enforcement.
There are very few crimes more vile than those committed against children. The fact that there are people who deliberately spend their time exploiting children should disgust everyone. If you’re one of those people, the internet leaves evidence. Law enforcement knows how to follow it and is only getting better by the day. You can hide behind fake accounts, anonymous usernames, and screens, but those things don’t make you invisible forever.
This investigation remains active. Additional information will be released when it can be released responsibly without compromising the investigation or any future prosecution.
Sheriff Casey Schmidt
June 9, 2026
