Iowa City man charged with child porn following FBI raid

IOWA CITY — A 45-year-old Iowa City man was arrested on child pornography charges Wednesday after federal agents used a tactical vehicle to break through the side of his house.

Christopher Michael Wilson was formally charged in U.S. District Court with one count each of receiving child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Jackson of Iowa’s Southern District ordered Wilson to remain in temporary custody pending a detention hearing, as requested by a federal prosecutor, set for Monday in Davenport.

If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, depending on the age of the child.

Wilson was arrested in 2010 and charged with two counts of third-degree sexual abuse, a felony, but was acquitted after a 2012 trial, according to Johnson County District Court records.

Iowa City police sent out a notification Wednesday that the FBI was conducting an operation in the 400 block of North Lucas and Fairchild streets. It included contact information for anyone “experiencing trauma from the tactical presence in the area.”

FBI agents used a tactical vehicle to ram into the side of the house where Wilson, according to state court records. An FBI spokesperson wouldn’t provide further information about why the vehicle was used.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Iowa didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iowa City Police Capt. Denise Brotherton said Thursday the department put out the notice with permission from the FBI. It is now city policy to do such notifications when a special response team is deployed for high-risk search warrant situations.

Brotherton said the notifications are being made because the community voiced concerns last year about these type of operations being traumatizing to people in the neighborhood who witness tactical officers and their equipment.

“This is our way of trying to provide resources to address this trauma since we have to deploy these resources at times,” Brotherton said.

The city encouraged community members affected by this incident to contact Mobile Crisis Outreach at (855) 581-8111.

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