INDIANAPOLIS — When questioned about his activity on the app, IMPD Sgt. Javed Richards called it super embarrassing.
He was also concerned about his character, he's been known to be a high ranking officer, involved in SWAT, the assistant chief's office and internal affairs.
Richards said "Whatever happened in that moment, whatever it is, it is not who I am right? It is not who I am."
On Wednesday, charges were filed against Richards, including 13 counts of child exploitation, and one count of possession of child pornography.
On Thursday, multiple more charges were filed against Richards relating to child sex crimes after warrants returned more files of child performing sexual acts.
During a search of his apartment, detectives found three passports. The charging documents state:
The reason for the collection of the passports at that time were to prove Javed Richards was the person who resided at the address searched. While doing further investigation it was found that at least one passport does not involve Richards current residence.
Richards is originally from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He still has family that lives there.
The state is worried that Richards could return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines or another country and no longer be under this court's jurisdiction.
The state requests the passports found that are not necessary for the case at hand be turned over to the court during the pendency of the case.
The state would also request the defendant be required to turn over any other passports he may have that were not found in the home to the court.
The counts of child exploitation and pornography come from activity on Richards' personal phone.
Police said Richards' hid behind the username "Chasepleez" on the messaging app KIK.
That is where he's accused of uploading, downloading and sharing explicit content, including child pornography.
Detectives found videos from 15 seconds to two minutes in length of young girls believed to be under the age of 12. They were engaging in sexual acts with adult men.
Those images and videos were traded in group chats where code words like NL for "no limits" were used.
During Richards' interview with detectives, the 12-year-veteran said he no longer has a KIK account. When pressed about the chats, he said "I don't even know how I ended up there" and went on to say "so dumb."
WATCH | 12-year veteran IMPD officer arrested for child exploitation
Investigators said people trading pornography often use virtual private networks or VPN's to obscure their location and mask their identity.
Richards used a VPN, but the connection dropped and his computer switched to his personal WiFi in his apartment.
That switch alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
"One of our core missions here at the center is to reduce child sexual exploitation, and so when we're talking about the cyber tip line, and we're receiving these reports, it is so critical that we make them available to law enforcement so that a child can be safeguarded, a suspect who is perpetrating these crimes can be held accountable," said Fallon McNulty.
Fallon McNulty, director of the cyber tip-line, tells WRTV internet companies often reach out when it involves the exploitation of children.
"So, the reports primarily come from the the electronic service providers. Those are going to be those internet farms, social media. Companies could be things like online gaming platforms, really any type of digital platform, and then each year, we do receive approximately a quarter of a million reports from members of the public as well," said McNulty.
NCMEC contacted IMPD on August 6th.
Detectives recognized the IP address where the nudes and videos were being sent matched IMPD's records for Richards.
Investigators used Richards body camera to trace him back to his apartment minutes before he is accused of logging onto his KIK account. They say he was logged on for hours.
In a statement, Indy's police chief Chris Bailey called the accusations "a betrayal of the sacred oath taken by officers."
Richards' said this investigation creates an impression that this is who he is.
"If I could say anything, it's just that we can help," said McNulty.
McNulty wants people to know, there are free resources available for victims of child sexual exploitation. They are working to make sure the images won't be shared again.
"Whether it's a family that is reaching out to NCMEC, or perhaps law enforcement is reaching out to see what additional resources may be available, there's a very wide spectrum of tools that we have here at NCMEC, all of which are free. So one, if we're thinking specifically about instances of child sexual exploitation. We have a dedicated team here that helps to notify if there is any of that imagery that is still being circulated online. We aim to help individuals get that content removed. We have a free anonymous service called take it down, and that can be found at takeitdown.ncmec.org, and that actually allows for individuals to be submitting what's known as a hash value, or a digital fingerprint of any imagery that they themselves might have or be aware of that depicts them when they were under the age of 18 years old, to ensure that that is not being shared online. We also have counselors here, mental health professionals who are going to be able to talk to individuals and help to get individuals in contact with local resources in their area," she said.
In 2023, the cyber tip line received 36.2 million reports related to child sexual exploitation.
14,760 of those reports were made to Indiana law enforcement.
Sgt. Richards was known to his department as a trustworthy officer.
He was last assigned to internal affairs, a group that investigates alleged wrong-doing of other officers. Now, it's Richards' who is in the hot seat.
He's been deemed a "hero" throughout his career.
In 2015, he received the Medal of Valor and the purple heart after he was shot in the line of duty on the east side.
A year later, he was honored for helping a woman survive a crash.
Richards' is currently suspended from the department, but the chief of police has recommended Richards' be fired.
The officer is currently in jail. Prosecutors are expected to announce formal charges this week.
A bond has been set for Richards for $4,000 cash. The judge granted the state's order for his passports to be held by the court.
A court hearing is scheduled for Richards for Thursday, Aug. 22 at 9 a.m.
