Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announces charges against Eric Zachary Johnson for Pandering Sexually Oriented Material Involving A Minor

Today, Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers announced the indictment of Eric Zachary Johnson (DOB: 09/23/1994) for thirty (30) counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Material Involving a Minor. If convicted of all charges, he faces a maximum of 77 years and 6 months in prison.

Johnson was indicted for twenty-five (25) counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Material Involving a Minor at the felony of the fourth degree level and five (5) counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Material Involving a Minor at the felony of the second degree level.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children that indicated an internet account associated with Eric Zachary Johnson was potentially involved in the online storage of child pornography and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Deputies with the Regional Electronic and Computer Investigations (RECI) section of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office drafted a search warrant for Johnson’s residence based on this information. Deputies executed the warrant on August 27^th, 2024 and recovered electronic devices including Johnson’s cell phone, multiple computers, and multiple hard drives.

An analysis of the defendant’s phone revealed over 100 images categorized as CSAM, forty-two

(42) images categorized as child exploitative material, and thirty-nine (39) additional files of interest including screenshots of children’s Instagram pages. Further investigation also discovered nearly one hundred videos of women and children playing in public, believed to be recorded in parks and neighborhoods in the Anderson Township area. An analysis of the multiple hard drives seized is ongoing, and it is estimated that there are over one million images and videos to categorize.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers commented, “I want to thank the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for their excellent work in this matter. Tracking down criminals who operate in the shadows of the Internet is not easy work, and we are lucky to have dedicated professionals working to keep us safe online.



I am disturbed by the facts in this case and believe the public needs to be made aware of them. This defendant was not only collecting gigabytes of child pornography, he was also out in public covertly recording children at play. This is sickening and depraved, and it causes me to have grave concern that he might have been doing more than collecting files off the internet.

If anyone, especially those in the Anderson Township area, suspects their child has had contact with Eric Zachary Johnson, please contact the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office or your local police department.”