Kentucky YouTuber ‘Mr Crafty Pants’ charged with possession of child sexual material

It is alleged that Booth repeatedly shared images of children on the social media messaging app Kik, according to Wave News.

The report says that Booth possessed six photos—three showing children under the age of 12 and three others depicting teenagers—which he shared more than 15 times with users between August 4 and August 7.

Police launched a probe into the 39-year-old content creator, who has more than 600,000 subscribers, after the social media app flagged his account. The account was traced back to an IP address linked to Booth’s Norton Commons, Kentucky, home.

“It’s scary to think what he could have had access to,” said his neighbor, Laura Nash. She said she immediately asked her children if they had ever interacted with Booth following his arrest. “It feels like a gut punch. It makes you feel really vulnerable. It’s terrifying, as a mom, to hear about something like this. It just makes you realize that you’re not safe anywhere.”

Nash described their neighbourhood as being family-friendly and said that Booth was also friends with many of her mutual friends online. “I know that he followed a bunch of my friends online, so it’s worrying to me to wonder what he may have been viewing of their life,” she added, saying that it’s an “eye-opener for sure.”

The outlet reports that Booth has been charged with possession and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. He was arraigned on Thursday with a bond set at $150,000.

If released, he would be placed on house arrest and be denied internet access. He is due back in court on Friday.

Mr. Crafty Pants' YouTube channel focuses on DIY crafting tutorials—especially projects using machines like the Cricut cutter, heat transfer vinyl, sublimation, custom apparel, and other creative “maker” crafts.