New Caney man faces charges in alleged child porn

A New Caney man accused of making child pornography videos of a girl younger than 5 is facing federal charges of child exploitation, the U.S. attorney’s Office said Tuesday.

Joshua James Holmstedt, 39, was arrested Tuesday after a federal investigation of a chat room on a social-media forum frequented by people with sexual interest in children, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez said in a news release.

The FBI conducted the investigation with the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office.

Investigators said Holmstedt entered the social media forum where strangers are paired in random one-on-one anonymous chats, according to the news release.

In those chats, he “claimed he was sexually active with a minor female and claimed he watched pornographic material with her,” according to the news release. He sent along an image and four videos, some of which focused on her genitals.