By SGT. RON GALAVIX
Public Information Officer, Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post

John W. Rowe

COLUMBIA CITY — A 39-year-old Columbia City man was arrested on three felony charges yesterday, March 23, following a four-month long investigation into various crimes against children allegations.

Following the execution of the search warrant, investigators arrested John W. Rowe without incident and he was incarcerated in the Whitley County Jail without bond. Rowe has been a registered sex offender since 2011. He is being charged by the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office with the following:

• Possession of Child Pornography, three counts, level 6 felonies.

According to investigators, a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging possession of child pornography was received in December 2015. An undercover investigation into a “cloud storage service” was then conducted by the Indiana State Police, which resulted in the execution of a search warrant at the man’s Columbia City residence yesterday by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Member agencies include the Indiana State Police, Fort Wayne Police Department; Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department; and the FBI.

Investigators credit the collaborative effort of all of the agencies involved in this complex and highly technical criminal investigation. Assisting with the search warrant were the Indiana State Police, Columbia City Police Department; Whitley County Sheriff Department; and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.