A Baldwin County man arrested earlier this year for sexual abuse of a child will appear in federal court Monday on a new possession of child pornography charge. In a complaint unsealed today, investigators claim they discovered more than 2,300 images and 13 videos depicting child pornography on the cell phone of 39-year-old Taras Hodivsky, Jr after he was arrested on multiple state charges in January.
In a graphic affidavit, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation details how the agency executed a search warrant at Hodivsky’s workshop to corroborate allegations he repeatedly raped and assaulted a 7-year-old girl.
Along with physical evidence and bodily fluid samples collected at the scene of the alleged assaults, agents also searched his cell phone.
“Among the still images were approximately 2,430 still images depicting the sexual exploitation of children,” the affidavit claims. “Of those images, your affiant believes at least half of the images depicted children of pre-pubescent age engaged in sex acts or exposing their genitalia. Also found on the phone were approximately 13 downloaded video files depicting the sexual exploitation of children.”
The affidavit goes on to list those videos and provide descriptions of their contents.
Meanwhile, the affidavit also provides more information about the allegations of abuse from the 7-year-old female. Allegedly, the girl and her mother were renting an apartment from Hodivsky’s family in Summerdale which is attached to “a large automobile shop in which Hodivsky regularly works on his race cars.”
The girl, who had “regular access to the shop,” disclosed to a family friend that Hodivsky had recently entered her bedroom and digitally penetrated her with his finger. The friend told the girl’s mother, who in turn contacted police.
In a subsequent interview of the girl at the Child Advocacy Center, investigators were led to believe Hodivsky had assaulted her “multiple” times between September 2017 and June 2018, including instances of rape.
According to state court records, Hodivsky was charged with sodomy, sex abuse of a child less than 12 years old, child enticement and first degree rape. News reports indicate he was awarded a $175,000 bond, and jail records indicate he was released on Jan. 28.
He was arrested again by federal agents today and will be temporarily detained pending a preliminary hearing Monday.
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