Gary Man Charged in Child Exploitation Case Following CyberTip Investigation
A Gary man has been charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography after investigators linked him to explicit material involving minors, according to court documents filed in Lake County.
The investigation began in August 2024, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded a CyberTip to Indiana State Police after the messaging app Kik reported multiple uploads of suspected child sexual abuse material.
Detectives traced the activity to an internet account registered to Thomas Prendergast at his Gary residence. Subscriber information from the internet provider confirmed the account was active at the time of the uploads and linked directly to Prendergast.
On September 4, 2024, detectives met with Prendergast outside his workplace in Merrillville. According to court documents, he admitted to previously using the Kik app and acknowledged an email address similar to the one identified in the tip. He denied sharing illegal content but stated that others used his Wi-Fi and that he had recently lost his phone.
A search warrant served to Kik resulted in the recovery of over 80 videos, several of which investigators identified as depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The associated chat logs also included messages referencing the young appearance of individuals in the content.
Cell tower data tied to Prendergast’s phone showed connections near his residence during the timeframes when the material was uploaded.
Thomas Prendergast has been charged this week and booked into Lake County Jail with:
- Child Exploitation – Disseminate, Exhibit, or Offer to Do So; Send or Bring into Indiana (Level 5 Felony)
- Possession of Child Pornography (Level 6 Felony)
