A Polk County man was arrested and charged with 45 counts possession of child pornography after a tip from his former employer.
A Duke Energy company representative called the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after finding a flashdrive thought to be linked to 47-year-old Duane Andrew Franz, who had started working there in 2017.
Investigators said the removable flash drive was indeed owned by Franz and contained images and videos of sex crimes against. Some of the recordings were from the inside of a child’s bedroom in his home, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators also found a Coca-Cola company-issued laptop and another flash drive containing evidence of sex crimes against children. A Facebook profile for Duane Franz with the same employment history shows he has been married with children.
Two victims were interviewed by police related to the investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
While they were searching his house, Franz told officers he had a sex and pornography addiction and sought counseling for it in the past.
During the search warrant at their home, detectives seized 20 flash drives, an Apple iPhone, a mini digital camera, an external hard drive and a laptop computer.
All the devices are being forensically examined by the Sheriff’s Office, who said his bail was set at $225,000 ($5,000 per charge.) The Polk County Jail did not list Franz as a current inmate on Monday at noon.
