Staff Report

Derek Eugene Gaff

COLUMBIA CITY — A registered sex offender in Whitley County was arrested for allegedly possessing multiple files depicting child pornography.

Derek Eugene Gaff, 44, 1594 S. 600E, Columbia City, is charged with three counts of possession of child pornography with aggravating factors, all level 5 felonies; and three counts of possession of child pornography, all level 6 felonies.

In November 2023, an Indiana State Police detective began investigating cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to court documents, on Sept. 12, 2023, Gaff uploaded a file depicting child pornography to Discord, an online messaging platform. Upon executing a search warrant of Gaff’s Discord account, law enforcement found over 60 files depicting child pornography.

NCMEC also reported the cellphone number used by Gaff was associated with five other cyber tips, one of which dated back to 2019 and had previously resulted in Gaff’s arrest and conviction of possession of child pornography. With this prior conviction, Gaff was a registered sex offender at the time of the new incidents.

On April 16, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Gaff’s residence. Gaff said he received links from people for child pornography while using Discord. He allegedly told police he did get aroused by files depicting child pornography.

Upon searching Gaff’s cellphone, officers found images of child pornography.

Gaff was booked in the Whitley County Jail on April 16, 2025. He has an initial hearing at 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 19, in Whitley Circuit Court.