Marion County deputy arrested after child pornography investigation

A Marion County deputy has been fired from his job after police arrested him in connection with a child pornography sting.

Greenwood police arrested Benjamin Farson, 29, on seven counts of felony child exploitation. Farson had been a deputy for three years.

The investigation began earlier this month after someone downloaded three child pornography files from the internet. Subsequently, police discovered that someone downloaded four more videos from the same IP address.

They traced the IP address to Farson’s home in Greenwood. The deputy was working at the Arrestee Processing Center when police executed a search warrant. After searching Farson’s home, police questioned Farson. According to investigators, the deputy cooperated and admitted he downloaded child pornography.

Greenwood police arrested Farson and took him to the Johnson County Jail. Investigators said Farson’s criminal conduct happened off-duty while he was using his computer at home.

The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will prosecute Farson. Greenwood police and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office are working together on the investigation.