Cedar Lake Man Found Guilty of Possession of Child Pornography Following Trial
CROWN POINT — A Bench Trial has found a Cedar Lake man guilty of possessing child pornography following an investigation that began in 2021.
On February 17, 2026, Walter Ray Roach was found guilty in Lake County Superior Court of Possession of Child Pornography, a Level 6 Felony. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.
According to court documents and the probable cause affidavit, the investigation was led by the Deputy Chief of the Cedar Lake Police Department and centered on allegations involving images and videos discovered on an Apple iPhone. The phone in question was found after it was left in a couch cushion. The phone was turned over to authorities after it was discovered to have illicit images on it.
A search warrant for the phone was obtained on July 20, 2021, and authorized by a Lake County magistrate. The device was submitted to the Indiana State Police in Lowell for forensic examination.
According to the affidavit Indiana State Police conducted a digital forensic analysis and located:
- 2 PDF files containing images of evidentiary value
- 2,493 image files depicting children who appeared to be under the age of 16 in various stages of undress and engaged in sexual activity
- 576 video files consistent with the same content
Investigators reported that some of the material depicted sadomasochistic activity. The files recovered from the phone were dated between 2004 and July 2021.
Court documents indicate that when confronted about the missing phone, Roach stated the device had gone missing approximately one month earlier and alleged that his then-girlfriend had changed the passcode. According to investigators, Roach claimed he was being “set up.” At the time of that statement, officers had not disclosed that illicit material had been located on the device.
Following the guilty verdict, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter extended appreciation to Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Jacob Brandwei and Keith Anderson for their work on the case, along with Detective Carl Brittingham, Sgt. Alva Whited, and the officers involved in the investigation.
The Lake County Prosecutor’s Office stated it remains committed to holding offenders accountable and protecting the integrity of the community.
Roach, born January 5, 1968, has maintained residences in Cedar Lake, Lowell, and Crown Point, according to Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles records cited in court documents.
Sentencing will be determined at a future hearing.
