LOIUSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A southern Indiana man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Joseph Flamion, 47, of Jeffersonville, was charged with several felonies in 2022, including child molesting, child exploitation, sexual misconduct with a minor and voyeurism with a camera.

According to an arrest report, the charges stem from the moment someone found a hidden camera in a bathroom. Police said Flamion had been recording a 14-year-old naked in the bathroom and told police he hid the camera to make sure people weren't wasting water.

"I want to thank the Indiana State Police Digital Forensic Examiners, FBI Indianapolis Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana for their assistance in the investigation and the thorough prosecution of Mr. Flamion," Jefferson Police Chief Col. Kenny Kavanaugh said in a news release Friday. "His predatory actions impacted not only the victims in this case but caused a ripple effect across our community. Our partnership with these agencies enabled us to conduct a sound investigation which led to a successful prosecution."

Flamion also admitted to police that he put lotion on the girl’s body but said he did not do it in a "sexual way" and did not mean to make her feel uncomfortable. Police said he made the girl take her clothes off while he did it and put lotion over her breast, buttocks and inner thighs.

"Those who seek to sexually exploit children must be identified and held accountable for the trauma they inflict on victims and their families," Zachary A. Myers, United States attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a news release Friday. "Thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Jeffersonville Police Department, FBI, and our federal prosecutor, the public will be protected from this defendant while he serves a very serious sentence in federal prison."

The federal indictment says Flamion had been sending the alleged content to others for more than a year. It adds that between May 18, 2022, to July 2022, Flamion tried to hide the camera after being interviewed. It also says he had an iPhone 13 with at least one image of child porn.

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