Man appears in district court for reportedly possessing child porn

IDAHO FALLS – A man appeared in district court Tuesday for allegedly having child pornography on his computer.

Ryan Kent Baum, 39, was charged with four felony counts of possessing or accessing child sexually exploitative material.

In March 2021, Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies were contacted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

They told deputies that they had tracked a user by his IP address to Idaho Falls and that this person had been uploading “pictures of juveniles engaging in sexual activities with kids their own age and with adults,” according to court records.

Deputies were able to track the IP address to the internet provider. From there, they were able to determine that the computer belonged to Baum.

On April 20, 2022, the ICAC Task Force, Idaho Falls Police Department, and Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Baum’s home.

Baum was also contacted at his work and was taken to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s office to speak with detectives.

Baum told the detectives that he has an “addiction to taboo images” and said that he “regrets looking at child sexual abuse,” according to court documents.

He also admitted to detectives that he had been having a “pornography problem” for some time.

When deputies went through Baum’s other electronic devices, they found “more than a dozen images of child sexual abuse material,” according to the police report.

Baum was booked into the Bonneville County Jail, where his bond was set to $10,000. He posted bond and was released the next day.

His arraignment was continued, and Baum is expected to appear back in court on Oct. 11.

EastIdahoNews.com has reached out to Baum’s attorney, and we will update this article if we hear back.

Though Baum has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

If convicted, Baum could face up to 40 years in prison.