COVINGTON, Ky. — On Nov. 19, 2020, the Kenton County Grand Jury returned a 12-count indictment charging Joshua Robert Turner, 31, of Park Hills, with First Degree Rape (child under 12), First Degree Sodomy (child  under12), Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Minor, and other felony offenses related to sexual assaults on two minor children.

Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Minor is a Class B felony punishable by 10-20 years in prison. All other charges are Class A felonies punishable by 20-50 years or Life in prison. All charges require registration as a sexual offender if Turner is ever released from prison.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said Turner was arrested Sept. 28, 2020, by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force on a warrant obtained earlier the same month by Park Hills Police Lt. Richard Webster. The warrant indicates Turner is accused of filming himself perpetrating sex acts on two female children, both of whom were less than 12 years of age at the time.

The acts are alleged to have been committed between Jan. 1, 2020, and Sept. 28, 2020. According to the warrant, the mother of one victim discovered the video recorded sexual assaults when looking through a cell phone she had loaned to Turner and contacted police. When police investigators executed a search warrant on the phone, additional videos and images depicting crimes against children were located. Investigators identified Turner using tattoos seen in the video recordings.

“Video recorded crimes make for good cases from an evidence standpoint,” Sanders said. “But horrific acts upon a child are very difficult for even the most seasoned law enforcement officials to watch.”

According to Sanders, the investigation continues and additional charges are still possible.

“We’ve rushed the forensic examination of the electronics to get this case before the Grand Jury as soon as possible just in case Kentucky shuts down the court system again,” Sanders said. “Additional digital evidence is still being examined though, so we will see where it leads.”We’re particularly interested in finding out whether he sent the video to anyone else or uploaded them to the internet.”

Sanders said there is currently no evidence to suggest additional victims but investigators are still looking into Turner’s social circles to see if he had access to any other children. “If anyone knows their children have had unsupervised contact with Mr. Turner, they should immediately notify Park Hills Police,” Sanders said. Park Hills Police can be reached by contacting Kenton County Dispatch at (859) 356-3191.

Turner is scheduled for arraignment before Kenton Circuit Judge Kathleen Lape on Dec. 8, 2020. He is currently being held in the Kenton County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. An indictment is a charge and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.