CHARLOTTE, NC — A criminal complaint filed in federal court alleges a man at a hotel in Hickory, NC contacted an escort on the backpage.com website and asked what she'd charge to help him sexually assault a 6-year-old girl.
The woman was in Charleston, SC and contacted police there. Police were able to use the phone number that Joshua Dane Keener gave her to track him down.
Investigators searched his phone and found child pornography. Keener now faces federal child porn charges. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The case - and others like it - is the reason Homeland Security and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Police Department held a meeting with parents at Huntersville Elementary School Tuesday evening. They want parents to be aware of the dangers of the internet.
"You are giving your child access to the world, but you're also giving the world access to your child," explained Detective Kenny Lynch with CMS Police. "At the end of the day, it's really about just giving our parents information so they understand how to best keep their kids safe."
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is calling on Congress to help the victims of child pornography. He wants a new law that would make it easier for them to get restitution.
The bill would clarify exactly what victims are entitled to for all the trauma they were put through, and it would establish a clear process for victims to get compensation from the federal Crime Victims Fund.
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