Ottawa man faces charges of possessing child sexual abuse images

An Ottawa man could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of possessing child sexual abuse images.

Cody L. Haywood, 38, was charged with five counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, all Class 2 felonies carrying three to seven years in prison, Ottawa police said in a news release sent Wednesday. Haywood’s first court appearance is set for July 17.

Haywood was charged following an investigation launched April 19 after the Ottawa Police Department received a report of an alleged sex offense involving a man and a girl. Police developed Haywood as a suspect and, during the investigation, seized Haywood’s cellphone and obtained a search warrant for a forensic examination of the device, police said.

“The forensic examination of the cellphone resulted in detectives locating multiple images and videos of [child sexual abuse] saved to the cellphone,” police said. “Search warrants were also obtained for Haywood’s social media accounts, which resulted in additional images and videos ... being located.”