Jun. 6—A Hartselle man who was charged with second-degree rape last month for having sexual intercourse with a minor is now being charged with possession of child pornography after investigators found multiple nude pictures and videos of children on his cellphone, according to an investigator’s affidavit.
Benjamin Preston Bolan, 27, is being held without bail in Morgan County Jail after his arrest May 14 on three counts of second-degree rape. An affidavit states Bolan had sex with a 13-year-old female on three occasions. Before that arrest, he was out on bail for third-degree burglary after allegedly stealing items from a storage unit in Hartselle.
In April, Morgan County Sheriff’s investigators obtained search warrants for Bolan’s Snapchat account and his cellphone.
An investigator said in the affidavit that they discovered “several hundred sexually explicit photos, videos and chats” that involved children “from 5 years old to 15 years old.”
— wesley.tomlinson@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442.