PRINCETON, W.Va. — State Police say a former Mercer County day care worker may face additional child pornography charges depending on what, if anything, a forensics team, based at Marshall University in Huntington, recovers from all of his electronic devices.
Lindsey Dale Bowling, 29, of Princeton, was arrested earlier this month on 150 counts of possessing and receiving child pornography based on an initial look at his computer.
“That’s just a preview,” cautioned Sgt. M.D. Bowling with the State Police Crimes Against Children Unit.
She said Bowling and his mother had worked at Lil Camper Dependable Child Care Center in Princeton for an unknown amount of time and, in some cases, the two would care for children late into the evening, overnight or for entire weekends at their residence.
Bowling had previously worked at the Concord University Day Care Center.
Clemons said the pornography recovered, up to this point, appears to be from outside online sources and does not include depictions of Bowling with any children, including those who stayed at the day care center, but the investigation is continuing.
That work could take several months.
“There is that chance, especially with these types of offenders, there’s a great chance of an actual hands on offense,” she said.
On Tuesday, Sgt. Clemons and other Mercer County law enforcement officials met with parents of the children who had stayed at Lil Camper Dependable Child Care Center, during Bowling’s employment there, or sought child care assistance from Bowling and his mother independently.
Those parents were told to monitor their children closely and report any changes in behavior or medical issues that could signal abuse to law enforcement officers.
Child Protect, an independent nonprofit agency in Princeton, is conducting forensic interviews of kids, at the request of their parents. Several interviews have already been scheduled. The phone number for Child Protect is 304-425-2710.