NEW CASTLE, IN — A young New Castle man faces 13 felony charges after investigators said they found on his cell phone multiple videos that showed children engaged in sex acts.
Carter James Wooten, 18, is charged in Henry Circuit Court 2 with 13 counts of possession of child sex abuse material: 11 Level 5 felonies carrying up to six years in prison, and two Level 6 felonies with maximum 30-month sentences.
According to an affidavit, the investigation that led to Wooten's arrest began in June 2025 after Snapchat reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children the posting of a 48-second video — from an account eventually linked to the New Castle teenager — that showed a nude girl, believed to be 6 to 8 years old, being sexually assaulted by an adult.
Similar reports followed from postings on Snapchat, Instagram and elsewhere of other videos showing the sexual abuse of children, some as young as toddlers.
The court document filed in Circuit Court 2 on July 22 provided grim descriptions of what those videos showed.
More: Henry County man faces molesting, child pornography charges
On April 13, a New Castle police detective who is assigned to the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a warrant to search Wooten's home along Hillcrest Drive.
Items seized included the teen's cell phone and a desktop computer.
During an interview, Wooten reportedly told the detective he had a "large collection" of more than 1,000 "sexual images and videos involving underage individuals, some as young as 3 years old, which he began accumulating at age 13."
The New Castle resident said those images were stored on his iPhone and acknowledged he had "previously shared some of these images and videos."
"He acknowledged the addictive nature of his behavior, attributing it to early exposure and curiosity," the detective wrote. "He discussed the ease of accessing illegal content online, often without financial cost, and the challenges of stopping his behavior now that he was 18 years old."
Wooten also "advised he was in text communication with numerous females which he believed were both under and over 18 years old," according to the affidavit.
Police found no indication that Wooten produced the videos showing children being assaulted.
The New Castle teen, arrested on July 24, continues to be held in the Henry County Jail under a $92,500 surety bond and a cash bond of $8,950. He has received a Nov. 23 trial date.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: New Castle teen faces 13 charges tied to child pornography