Greenwood police have arrested the owner of an iconic downtown ice cream shop who they say searched for and downloaded pornographic images of young girls on his home and work computers.
John Cassin, 75, the owner of Mrs. Curl Ice Cream Shop and Outdoor Cafe in Greenwood, was arrested following a months-long investigation. He was charged with two Level 5 felonies of possession of child pornography.
Cassin, of 136 Windemere Road, Whiteland, was arrested on Friday afternoon at the ice cream shop.
He has owned Mrs. Curl, a well-known ice cream shop in the heart of downtown Greenwood, since 1997. Mrs. Curl has served patrons at its site on Meridian Street, south of Main Street, for more than five decades.
A cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to an investigation by Greenwood police that began in October, according to court documents.
The national center alerts law enforcement to reports of sexual exploitation of children on the Internet, court documents said.
Police searched Cassin’s home, including all of his computers and mobile devices, on March 20 for traces of child pornography, according to court documents.
Investigators interviewed Cassin at that time, court documents said.
He told police he “just clicks on stuff” and might have accidentally uploaded something. When an investigator showed him the photo they received as part of the tip, Cassin said he had seen the image before and knew the child was under the age of 18.
He told police he used the desktop computer in his office to read the news and look at porn, court documents said. He denied downloading or storing any photos on the computer, police said.
Cassin said investigators would likely find a history of child porn activity dating back to when he bought the computer in May 2018, and said the computer he owned before that had three to four years worth of child porn activity on it, according to court documents.
He told police he had looked at pornography involving children as young as babies, including images of naked babies engaging in sexual activity, court documents said.
When asked about his internet search history, Cassin said he used specific search terms to locate the child pornography, police said.
He told police he never engaged in sexual activity with a minor, but was scared he would if he didn’t stop, according to court documents. Cassin said he stopped looking at child pornography in February, court documents said.
However, a forensic examination of Cassin’s computer revealed that he viewed child pornography on Feb. 25, Feb. 26 and March 1.
Investigators also found numerous child pornography images on a Mrs. Curl user account, according to court documents.
He could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.