Former Indiana police officer entices minor to produce child pornography, federal authorities say

A Gary, Indiana, police officer was charged in a federal indictment Thursday with enticing a minor to produce and record sexually explicit content.

According to the Northern District of Illinois Attorney General’s Office, James W. Bond, 52, was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and receipt and possession of child pornography.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Bond, while serving as a captain at the Gary Police Department in early July, “enticed and coerced” a minor into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and sent it to him earlier this summer. The minor was employed by the city of Gary at the time as part of the Summer Youth Employment Program and was assigned to the police department.

Bond was arrested Thursday morning and was scheduled to appear in federal court in Hammond that afternoon.

A guilty verdict for sexual exploitation of a minor can result in a prison sentence of 15 to 30 years. Receiving child pornography can result in a sentence of 5 to 20 years, and possession of child pornography can result in a maximum sentence of 10 years.