LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Two Jeffersonville men are facing numerous felony charges for allegedly possessing child sex abuse and exploitation materials after separate investigations led by the Jeffersonville Police Department.
According to a news release from the department, detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit launched two separate investigations -- one in July and one in September -- after receiving several cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. One investigation began in July and the other in September.
After gathering evidence, police got warrants to search two residences in Jeffersonville. On Oct. 28, 2025, detectives with the Jeffersonville Police Department and the Indiana State Police ICAC Task Force executed those warrants at residences in the Jackson Heights neighborhood and the Orchard Hills Apartment Complex, according to the release.
Investigators seized multiple items of digital evidence from both locations. Detectives that reviewed the materials found numerous files containing child sex abuse images linked to each suspect.
Later that day, police arrested 31-year-old Jeffersonville resident Michael Tackett on 20 counts of possession of child sex abuse material -- all Level 5 felonies. A judge entered a not guilty plea on Tackett's behalf in court on Oct. 31. He is being held on a $25,000 bond. He is scheduled back in court Dec. 5.
"I didn't know much about him," said Tackett's neighbor Isaiah Anthony. "I thought he was a good guy cause I would see him playing with his kids and stuff so that is a shock to me.
On Nov. 5, 2025, detectives arrested Benjamin Cawthorn, 21, of Jeffersonville, on 10 counts of possession of child sex abuse material and two counts of child exploitation -- all Level 4 felonies. In court on Nov. 10, a judge entered a not guilty plea on Cawthorn's behalf. He is being held on a $100,000 bond and ordered to have no contact with anyone under age 18. He is scheduled back in court on Dec. 9.
The Clarksville Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
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