Skip to main content
NOPE
High reported severity Involving minors Criminal Charges

Shawnee, Oklahoma police say a man used an AI app to make child sexual abuse images from photos of local children, one of a neighbour; five felony counts filed

Police in Shawnee, Oklahoma, say a local man used an artificial-intelligence app to create child sexual abuse images from photographs of children in his community, and Pottawatomie County prosecutors have charged him with five felony counts of possessing and creating child pornography. According to News On 6 (28 September 2026), the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children task force was tipped through a national database in August, Shawnee police executed a search warrant, and police say they found more than 200 child sexual abuse images and videos on two phones, about 100 of which appeared to have been created through an AI app. Court documents cited by the outlet say police identified some of the young victims through selfies they had posted on social media, and investigators believe one photo used was of a neighbour, taken from the man's front porch. KFOR reported on 6 October 2026 that court documents say he admitted using an app called "Desire AI", that a juvenile's online selfie was turned into sexually explicit AI images, and that a photo he took of a mother and her two-year-old daughter was altered to make both appear naked. The account rests on the police and OSBI statements and the charging documents as reported; the total number of children depicted is not stated.

AI system
Desire AI (reported)
Occurred
Event date unknown
Reported
28 September 2026
Event location
United States
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Exploitation or Abuse
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Privacy · Everyday life · Justice
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account
7 claims: 7 reported. 5 open questions
People reported harmed
At least 3 people

AI system as recorded: An app called "Desire AI", which court documents say the accused admitted using, as reported by KFOR; police say about 100 of the images found appeared to be created through an AI app

What Happened

The investigation. News On 6 reports that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was tipped off in August through a national database, that state agents alerted Shawnee police, and that a search warrant was executed at the man's home.

What police say they found. Police said the man had more than 200 child sexual abuse images and videos on two separate phones, and that about 100 of those images appeared to be created through an AI app.

The children. Police said he used pictures of children in his community. According to court documents cited by News On 6, police identified some of the young victims through selfies they posted on social media, and investigators believe one of the photos he used was taken of a neighbour from his front porch.

The charges. He was charged by Pottawatomie County prosecutors with five felony counts of possession and creating child pornography by using an AI app, with a first court appearance set for the Tuesday after the report. Hoodline's 29 September account, which states that it draws on the News 9 reporting, repeats these points. KFOR reported on 6 October that he is facing multiple felonies, that court documents say he admitted to investigators that he uses an app called "Desire AI", that a juvenile's online selfie was turned into sexually explicit AI-generated images, and that a photo he took from his driveway of a mother and her two-year-old daughter was found altered with AI to make both naked.

Context given by OSBI. An OSBI agent, speaking generally and not about this case, told News On 6 that AI-generated images are pulled from other images on the internet, so the children whose images are used are victimised. The outlet adds that Oklahoma passed a law two years ago making AI-generated child sexual abuse material illegal.

Limits. The dates on which the images were made are not stated, the total number of children depicted is not given, the app identification rests on an admission described in court documents as characterised by KFOR, and the allegations have not been tested in court. News On 6 and Hoodline place the neighbour photo on a front porch and KFOR on the driveway.

Reported harm

Children in the accused's community, including a juvenile whose online selfie was altered and a neighbouring mother and her two-year-old daughter, were depicted in AI-generated sexual or naked images, according to police and court documents as reported by News On 6 and KFOR; at least three people are individually described and no further individual consequence is reported.

How Harm Occurred

According to police, an AI image app was used to turn photographs of real local children, including a juvenile's online selfie and a photo of a neighbouring mother and her two-year-old daughter, into sexual abuse or naked images, which were stored alongside other abuse material on the accused's phones.

Outcome

Ongoing

Arrested by Shawnee police; charged by Pottawatomie County prosecutors with five felony counts of possession and creating child pornography using an AI app; first court appearance set for the Tuesday after the 28 September report. KFOR reported on 6 October 2026 that he is facing multiple felonies and was arrested in August. No plea or trial outcome is reported.

What remains unknown

  • When the images were made; the app identification ("Desire AI") rests on an admission described in court documents as characterised by KFOR.
  • How many children were depicted; police say 'some' victims were identified and name no number.
  • Whether any depicted child or family has been notified or has spoken; no victim account exists in the sources.
  • The outcome of the first court appearance and any plea.
  • Whether the neighbour photo was taken from the accused's front porch (News On 6, Hoodline) or his driveway (KFOR).

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. Police say about 100 of the images found on the man's phones appeared to be created through an AI app and that he used pictures of children in his community; court documents cited by News On 6 say some young victims were identified through their social-media selfies and investigators believe one photo used was of a neighbour. The generated sexual images of real children are the harm. KFOR reports that court documents say he admitted using an app called "Desire AI" and that a juvenile's online selfie and a photo of a mother and her two-year-old daughter were altered with AI into sexual or naked images. The images were not inspected by any outlet; everything rests on the police, OSBI and charging-document account as reported.

7 claims: 7 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported Pottawatomie County prosecutors charged the Shawnee man with five felony counts of possession and creating child pornography by using an AI app, with a first court appearance at the Pottawatomie County Courthouse.

Causal attribution. Charging facts as reported by News On 6 and repeated by Hoodline from the same reporting; the charging document itself was not read.

  • newson6.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'A Shawnee man has been charged with five felony counts of possession and creating child pornography by using an AI app.'; 'first court appearance on the charges is Tuesday at the Pottawatomie County Courthouse'
  • hoodline.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'Prosecutors in Pottawatomie County have since filed the five felony counts'
Reported Police say they found more than 200 child sexual abuse images and videos on two phones, about 100 of which appeared to have been created through an AI app.

Causal attribution. Police statement as reported; one origin.

  • newson6.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'more than 200 child sexual abuse images and videos on two separate phones. About 100 of those images appeared to be created through an AI app.'
  • hoodline.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'including about 100 images that appeared to have been created through an AI app'
Reported Police say the man used pictures of children in his community; court documents cited by News On 6 say some young victims were identified through selfies they posted on social media, and investigators believe one photo he used was taken of a neighbour from his front porch.

Causal attribution. Police and court-document account as reported; the neighbour identification is stated as investigators' belief.

  • newson6.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'used pictures of children in his community'; 'According to court documents, police identified some of the young victims through selfies they posted on social media.'; 'he took of a neighbor from his front porch'
  • hoodline.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'investigators believe he used a photo of a neighbor taken from the neighbor's front porch'
Reported The OSBI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was tipped off in August through a national database, state agents alerted Shawnee police, and a search warrant was executed at the man's home.

Causal attribution. OSBI and police account as reported.

  • newson6.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'was tipped off in August through a national database'; 'State agents alerted Shawnee police, and a search warrant was executed'
Reported An OSBI agent, speaking generally rather than about this case, said AI-generated images are pulled from other images on the internet so the children whose images are used are victimised; the outlet adds that Oklahoma passed a law two years earlier making AI-generated child sexual abuse material illegal.

Causal attribution. General context from the OSBI; not evidence about this case's images.

  • newson6.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'explained why AI-generated child pornography is illegal'; 'it might be kind of a mash-up of children's images that are being used and so these children are being victimized'; 'Two years ago, the Oklahoma legislature passed a law making AI-generated child sexual abuse material illegal'
Reported KFOR reported on 6 October 2026 that the man is facing multiple felonies for allegedly using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material, that he was arrested in August after investigators found over 200 abuse images and videos on his devices, about half of which appeared AI-made, and that court documents say he admitted to investigators that he uses an app called "Desire AI".

Causal attribution. Court documents as characterised by KFOR; the admission is reported, not inspected.

  • yahoo.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'A Shawnee man is facing multiple felonies for allegedly using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material.'; 'was arrested in August after investigators found over 200 child sexual abuse images and videos on his devices; about half of them appeared to be created with AI'; 'admitted to investigators that he uses an app called "Desire AI"'
Reported Court documents described by KFOR say the man used a juvenile's selfie that had been posted online to make sexually explicit AI-generated images, and that a photo he took from his driveway of a mother and her two-year-old daughter was found altered with AI to make both appear naked.

Causal attribution. Court documents as characterised by KFOR; News On 6 and Hoodline place the neighbour photo on a front porch, KFOR on his driveway.

  • yahoo.com(opens in new tab) supports · English
    'Court documents describe'; 'using a juvenile's selfie that had been posted online and turning it into sexually explicit AI-generated images'; 'took a photo from his driveway of a mother and her two-year-old daughter; investigators found that same photo altered with AI, making the two naked'

Sources

3 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in English on 2026-10-07 (bodies/tr-newson6-shawnee.txt). Original report; carries the Shawnee police statements, the OSBI agent interview and the court-document details. Applies to s1.

Read in English on 2026-10-07 (bodies/tr-hoodline-shawnee.txt). States that it draws on 'the seed reporting that originated with News 9'; same police and OSBI origin. Applies to s2.

Read in English on 2026-10-07 (bodies/vc-yahoo-com-news-us-articles-shawnee-man-facing-felonies-using-220000513-html.txt): Yahoo's syndicated copy of KFOR's 6 October 2026 text article (Sydnee Batzlaff/KFOR); KFOR's own page returned 403. Same police and court-document origin for the charges; the OSBI agent's quotes to KFOR are his own statements to that station. Applies to s3.

Event countries: United States. Affected-person countries: United States. Court countries: United States.

News On 6 places the search, arrest and the children's community in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and the charges in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States; the court is the Pottawatomie County Courthouse.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-07: Published as a concrete criminal case in which police say an AI image app was used to make sexual abuse images of real, identifiable local children, including a juvenile's online selfie and a neighbouring mother and toddler, with felony charges filed. Attributed throughout to the Shawnee police, OSBI and charging documents as reported by News On 6; the accused and the children are not named here.

People described

Children in the Shawnee, Oklahoma area whose photographs were used to make sexual abuse images, including a juvenile whose online selfie was altered and a neighbouring mother (an adult) and her two-year-old daughter photographed from the accused's property, according to police and court documents as reported

People reported harmed in this case

At least 3 people

0 AI participants · 3 other people harmed

Documented minimum 3: KFOR's account of the court documents individually describes a juvenile whose online selfie was altered into sexually explicit AI images, and a mother and her two-year-old daughter whose photo was altered to make both appear naked. News On 6 adds that 'some' young victims were identified through selfies, which is not a further lower bound, and the ~100 AI-made files are not converted into people. The accused is not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#ai-generated-csam#image-generation#children#neighbour#social-media-photos#criminal-charges#oklahoma#us

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Shawnee, Oklahoma police say a man used an AI app to make child sexual abuse images from photos of local children, one of a neighbour; five felony counts filed. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-shawnee-oklahoma-ai-app-child-sexual-abuse-images-from-local-children-photos-felony-charges

BibTeX

@misc{2026_shawnee_oklahoma_ai_app_child_sexual_abuse_images_from_local_children_photos_felony_charges,
  title = {Shawnee, Oklahoma police say a man used an AI app to make child sexual abuse images from photos of local children, one of a neighbour; five felony counts filed},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-shawnee-oklahoma-ai-app-child-sexual-abuse-images-from-local-children-photos-felony-charges}
}

Related cases

Medium Unidentified image tool

Cookeville, Tennessee: two high-school students were charged with aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor after the sheriff's office said they used an AI program to turn photographs, including those of female classmates, into sexually explicit images and posted them; the mother of one depicted girl says her daughter shut herself in her room and stopped talking to friends

On 31 August 2026 the Putnam County Sheriff's Office was told of possible sharing of sexually explicit images at Cookeville High School. Detectives found that two male teenage students had used an artificial-intelligence program to turn photographs obtained online, in some cases photographs of fellow female students, into sexually explicit images, and had shared them; explicit images already stored on one phone were also shared. Both juveniles were taken to the Putnam County Juvenile Detention Center. One was charged with one count each of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, the other with two counts of each. The district attorney told NewsChannel 5 on 21 September that the two would be prosecuted in juvenile court. The mother of one of the depicted girls told the station the episode was very hard on her daughter, who had made no naked photographs herself, locked herself in her room and would not talk to her, to anybody or to her friends. The sheriff's-office account and the school system's statement were carried by WZTV, WSMV and 3B Media News on 1-2 September; NewsChannel 5 added its own interviews with the sheriff, the district attorney and the mother on 21 September. The tool is not named. The juveniles are not named in any report.

High Grok

Arkansas cases allege Grok sexual-image abuse of children photographed by a professional

Arkansas criminal and civil cases allege that a photographer used children’s portrait photographs to generate sexual images with Grok. The accused pleaded not guilty. Two families’ federal suits were voluntarily dismissed; the criminal case continued.

High Grok

St. Clair v. xAI: a writer says Grok made and published sexualized images of her on X, including from a photo of her at 14, after it told her it would not; xAI sued her in Texas and her New York case was ordered transferred there, an order the Second Circuit has stayed pending her mandamus petition

Ashley St. Clair, a writer and political commentator with about 1 million followers on X, sued xAI in New York on 15 January 2026. She alleges that from on or about 4 January 2026 Grok, prompted by other X users, altered photos of her into sexualized images and published them on X, including one made from a photo of her at 14. She says @Grok told her that her images would not be used or altered without explicit consent, but many more images followed. She also says X's reporting channel found no violation and that X removed her Premium subscription, verification checkmark and monetization. She says she has suffered serious pain, mental distress and humiliation. The same day, xAI sued her in federal court in Texas, arguing that its terms of service required her to sue there. On 23 June 2026 the New York federal court ordered her case transferred to Texas. On 8 July the Second Circuit stayed that order administratively while it considers her mandamus petition, which was still pending on 24 August. The Texas case is set for trial on 1 March 2027.

Medium Unidentified video tool

Hampton, New Hampshire: police say a Massachusetts man harassed a Hampton resident for more than a year and posted an AI-generated deepfake video showing the resident being arrested and jailed, events police say never happened; he was indicted on four felony counts of fraudulent use of deepfakes and is held after his bail was revoked

Hampton police say a man from Worcester, Massachusetts harassed a Hampton resident for more than a year through phone calls, texts, emails and online posts, stemming from a perceived past disagreement, and kept going after the victim asked him to stop and after he was served with a stalking order of protection in October 2025. In November 2025 the victim showed police an AI-generated deepfake video that, according to the arrest-warrant affidavit, the man created to humiliate and defame him; it shows the victim being arrested and jailed and includes a structure resembling the victim's Hampton home and images of real people. A police sergeant said the depicted events never happened and that the video was posted on YouTube. A Rockingham County grand jury indicted the man on four Class B felony counts of fraudulent use of deepfakes under RSA 638:26-a, for creating, distributing and presenting a video of an identifiable person on 20 October, 31 October, 7 November and 13 November 2025. He turned himself in on 24 March, was released on bail, was arrested again on 26 August for alleged bail violations and is held at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. Police had the video removed. The AI tool is not named and the victim's own account is relayed only through the police.

If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available. Find a helpline near you at Signpost.

Back to all incidents