G Raymond 
Formal charges were filed Thursday against a Sandy man accused of possessing thousands of images of child pornography, including some that he made himself, according to investigators.
Austin Kyle Stewart, 32, was charged in 3rd District Court by the Utah Attorney General’s Office with sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony; and 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
The investigation began in October when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received several reports of someone who had “uploaded hundreds of files depicting child pornography” to an account, according to a police affidavit.
It was determined that the user was in Utah and the Utah Attorney General Office’s Internet Crimes Against Children task force was contacted.
After identifying Stewart as a suspect, a search warrant was served on his home on Tuesday.
“Over 8,000 files, images and videos of evidence of child pornography were found on two devices belonging to Austin Stewart. The evidence of child pornography depicts children between the ages of an infant to 12 years old,” according to the affidavit.
Stewart told investigators that “he has been viewing child pornography for the last 14 years and searching for child pornography on the dark web. Stewart further admitted having child pornography on the Google account and told me ICAC agents would also find child pornography on his electronic devices,” according to charging documents.
He also admitted to taking pictures and sexually abusing a young girl, the charges state.
