SAN JACINTO COUNTY, Texas – A story that KPRC aired on Thursday night regarding a gut-wrenching child pornography case in San Jacinto County, has brought more victims forward to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office.
“Since your news broadcast last night at 5 o'clock, we've had two more victims come forward,” said Sheriff Greg Capers of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities say the number of victim’s have risen from seven to 20.
Law enforcement say their investigation began when a victim stepped forward. Sheriff’s deputies searched a trailer in Shepherd which they said led them to two memory sticks filled with more than 3,100 videos of child pornography. Some of the content involved torture.
“It's disturbing,” Capers said. “It's very disturbing. It's atrocious. I don't see how another human being can do this stuff to children. It's heartbreaking, this is the first case this large that I've ever seen in my 36-year career and in my entire life.”
In all, three men were arrested.
James Tumlinson is being held without bond. He faces possession of the child pornography charges as well as sexual abuse of a child continuous and promotions of child porn. His father, Patrick Tumlinson, is accused of failure to notify authorities of sexual assault of a child.
The story has Shepherd divided.
On social media the majority of the comments favor the alleged victims. But there is a Facebook page that has popped up in support of those arrested called San Jacinto County Free My Boys. It has about a dozen members.
And family of the men arrested say some of their comments have been deleted from social media.
A family member of one of the three men arrested did not want to be identified but she says Cody Franklin is innocent of his aggravated sexual assault of a child charge.
“I do not believe that whatsoever and they have not shown me proof at all, and Cody is not like that, he never would harm a kid or be anything a part of it,” the woman said.
The San Jacinto County sheriff sees it differently.
“We wouldn't have been able to secure a warrant, if we did not have evidence on him,” Capers said.
Capers is asking if anyone has any information on this case to call the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office at 936-653-4367.
“It's heartbreaking to know and to see how another human being could have this sort of material in his possession and it's all just children.”