Evergreen Reporter

A Columbus man, previously convicted as a sex offender, has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges. Joshua Bock, 32, admitted to distributing and possessing child pornography in federal court. As a result of his plea, he faces a potential prison sentence ranging from 15 to 40 years for distribution and 10 to 20 years for possession.

Bock's legal troubles began when law enforcement officials were alerted by the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force following civilian complaints. In September 2024, multiple children reported seeing him nude and masturbating near their school bus stop close to Hamilton Local Schools.

Upon his arrest on local public indecency charges, authorities searched Bock's residence. They discovered numerous electronic devices containing over 3,500 images and videos of child sexual abuse. Some materials included "bondage" scenarios involving young females with gags in their mouths and even adults abusing infants.

Bock had previously been charged as a hands-on sexual offender against a victim who was about nine years old at the time of the offense. He was federally charged in September 2024 via a criminal complaint and has remained in custody since then.

The guilty plea was announced by Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin; and other members of the ICAC Task Force before U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the prosecution.