Shelbyville man sentenced to prison in child sex case

A Shelbyville man is going to prison for 40 years after his conviction for sex crimes against a six-year-old child.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, 38-year-old Justin R. Potts pled guilty to four charges related to the exploitation of the child. That happened while he was already required to register as a sex offender for previous offenses.

Potts had been convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor in Hancock County in 2014 and sentenced to 7 years in prison. he was required to register as a sex offender until 2026 but failed to register in 2019.

In December of 2021 and January of this year, Potts lived with the victim and while the victim was under his care recorded videos of sexual abuse. The video was uploaded to his google account which prompted a notification to the the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The Indiana State Police and the United States Secret Service quickly investigated the account, traced it to Potts, and executed a search warrant leading to his arrest and detention.

Potts pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually exploiting the victim and to one count of committing those offenses while required to register as a sex offender.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana commended the U.S. Secret Service, Indiana State Police, the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, and federal prosecutors for rescuing a child from ongoing abuse.