Grand jury indicts Butler County man accused of sexually exploiting toddler on Snapchat

Public asked to call FBI if they have information related to victimization of other minors
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A Middletown man already facing local charges for allegedly making and posting sexual videos in which a toddler are shown is now facing facing federal indictment for sexually exploiting a toddler.

Federal prosecutors allege Daveion Wright shared the sexually explicit conduct on Snapchat.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment against Wright, on Wednesday for five counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to court records.

Daveion Wright BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

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According to the indictment, on at least five instances in January 2024, Wright sexually exploited a 2-year-old victim and shared the explicit conduct on social media.

Law enforcement officials ask members of the public to call the FBI at 513-979-8821 if you believe you have information related to victimization of other minors by Wright.

Sexually exploiting a minor is a federal crime punishable by 15 to 30 years in prison.

Wright, 31, and Tiffany Morningstar, 22, were indicted by a Butler County grand jury on March 6 following an investigation by Middletown police.

Morningstar, is charged locally with seven counts of complicity to pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, a second-degree felony, and two counts of child endangering, one a misdemeanor and the other a felony.

Wright, is charged locally with seven counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and one count of felony child endangering.

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Butler County Common Pleas Judge Michael Oster Jr. set bond at $50,000 subject to 10 percent rule each.

If either of them post bond, they are required to wear a GPS monitor, have no contact with children or each other and stay off social media.

A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for April 22 in common pleas court.

Middletown police began investigating the couple after receiving a complaint from a woman who said she was watching a Snapchat video of a couple known to her having sex and a nude toddler was in the video, according to court records.

Both Wright and Morningstar were arrested then, and their cases were sent to a grand jury in February. They remain housed in the Butler County Jail on Tuesday morning.

Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Lindsay Sheehan said, “There is a live child that we can identify that is a young toddler. She is involved in the performance rather than actually being sexually abused.”

Sheehan said the videos are part of the investigation.

“She is never being sexually abused herself, but she is involved performance of Tiffany and Daveion engaging in intercourse,” Sheehan said.

She added the toddler is partially nude and a focal point of the video.

The investigation is continuing with other electronics being examined “and maybe at this point we only have part of the picture. There may be more and, if that happens, a superseding (indictment) can be issued,” Sheehan said. “The video we have she is involved in the performance, she is right there.”

There are multiple charges because Wright allegedly recorded the action and created multiple videos, but they are from the same interaction, she said.

“It kind of shocks the conscience when you see it,” Sheehan said.

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