Vincentian, who is a police officer in the US and is accused of child pornography

A former St. Vincent Grammar School (SVGS) student turned Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officer currently faces up to 162 years in prison in the United States of America (US) if found guilty of possession of child pornography.

IMPD Sergeant Javed Richards, of Lowmans Windward, is charged with 12 counts of child exploitation, all Level 4 felonies.

According to reports, a cyber tip about the online uploading and/or downloading of child sexual abuse material was passed on to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and later passed on to investigators with the Internet Crime Against Children Unit.

According to the Fox 39 online publication, detectives discovered the suspect may have been an IMPD officer and alerted detectives with the IMPD Special Investigation Unit.

Richards, a 12-year veteran of IMPD, was later arrested. At the time of his arrest, he was assigned to the Internal Affairs Unit, a position in which he investigates officers suspected of criminal activity.

The Vincentian has a respected career as a police officer in the U.S. In 2015, Richards was awarded the Medal of Valor and the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in a shootout with a man on the city’s east side, while in 2016 Richards was recognized by the Indiana State Police for helping to save the life of a crash victim.

In an interview, IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said he was “deeply shocked and disturbed by the allegations involving an IMPD officer,” noting that “his alleged actions constitute a betrayal of the sacred oath we take to protect and serve our community.”

Richards has been suspended and a recommendation for termination has been submitted to the IMPD Civilian Police Merit Board.

The accused police officer who visited SVG for a funeral last year is accused of sharing pornographic videos of children, child exploitation and one count of possession of child pornography. Detectives say they found photos on the accused man’s phone of young girls under the age of 12 posing nude.

Part of the investigation alleges that Richards used a messaging app called KIK and the online moniker “Chasepleez,” where he allegedly uploaded, downloaded and shared explicit content, including child pornography. According to WRTV ABC, “during Richards’ interview with investigators, the 12-year veteran said he no longer has a KIK account. When questioned about the chats, he said, ‘I don’t even know how I got on there,’ before replying, ‘so stupid.'”

“Richards was using a VPN, but the connection dropped and his computer switched to his personal Wi-Fi in his apartment, alerting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.”

WRTV ABC also reported that detectives say they are still searching Richards’ phone, tablets, laptops and other devices and are still investigating who received his messages.

“Once we get in there, we will have a clearer picture of what is going on, but we can also determine who these images are being sent to and whether other jurisdictions or law enforcement agencies need to be involved,” said District Attorney Mears, as reported by WRTV ABC.

Richards pleaded not guilty in court and has been given a $4,000 cash bond. He was ordered to surrender three passports and firearms to the court. Unconfirmed reports are that one of the travel documents was a Vincentian passport.

On Thursday, several former SVGS students who were in the same class as Richards expressed shock at the allegations.

“I hung out with him the last time he was here,” one former student told SEARCHLIGHT, who asked to remain anonymous.