Decatur Naval Petty Officer faces federal child porn charge following Homeland Security investigation

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A Homeland Security investigation led to the arrest of a Naval Petty Officer in Decatur on Thursday.

According to a federal complaint, Patrick Otwell is charged with one count of producing child pornography.

Homeland Security began its investigation into Otwell on January 27. Homeland Security’s Allentown office received a report he was sending and receiving explicit messages and images to a 13-year-old girl.

The agent in charge of the investigation says Otwell met his victim on the Y99 or the Omegle online apps.

He’s accused of then dramatically escalating conversations with his victim. Agents report he demanded nude photos and videos from the young girl, wrote her about explicit things he wanted to do to her, wanted her to call him “daddy” and talked to her like she was a small child. They say he laid out rules for her to follow that included sending him nude pictures every day and asking him for permission to go to sleep each night. Otwell is also accused of sending her explicit pictures and engaging in pornographic behavior in front of her in online video conversations. Agents say he asked to meet the victim several times, but she refused to tell him where she lived.

During the investigation, agents discovered Otwell was married in 2021 and is an active duty Naval Petty Officer Second Class and helicopter mechanic living in Decatur, Alabama. Agents tracked him down at his home in Decatur where he was arrested.

Otwell is due in the Huntsville Federal Court on Feb. 28 at 10:30a.

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