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WHEELING -- A Follansbee man was among four Northern Panhandle residents indicted Wednesday on federal sex charges.
The indictments were announced Thursday morning by the office of United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia William Ihlenfeld.
"We will continue to aggressively pursue all those who seek to harm children," said Ihlenfeld. "Thanks to the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, the individuals charged won't be able to hurt anyone for a long time to come."
Harry Fred Wells, age 53, of Follansbee, was charged with enticement of a minor for sex using a computer, transfer of obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Wells allegedly tried to persuade a child to engage in sexual activity, sent obscene material to the minor, and had child pornography on his cell phone.
David Edward Evans, age 53, of Moundsville, was charged with possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Evans uploaded pornographic images of minors to Google Photos. Investigators then searched Evans' phone and found more images and videos depicting a pre-pubescent minor less than 12 years old.
Carl Dennis Colvin, age 70, of Wheeling was charged with possession of child pornography. According to court documents, Colvin had child pornography on his computer depicting children under the age of 12.
Caleb Dale Steiner, age 42, also of Wheeling, was indicted on a charge of failure to register. According to court documents, Steiner must register as a sex offender and traveled across state lines without updating his registration with his new address.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Conklin is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.
The West Virginia State Police investigated the Evans case. The Wheeling Police Department investigated the Colvin matter with assistance of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations. The Department of Homeland Security Investigations investigated the Wells matter, and the United States Marshals Service investigated the Steiner case.