Man arrested after police find child pornography on Google Drive

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A man has been arrested and charged after Memphis police say they found child pornography on his Google Drive.

Police say that on July 16, 2022, the Memphis Police Department received a series of complaints from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children regarding child pornography.

Police say these complaints originated from Google after the company discovered a large number of files that it considered to be “apparent child pornography” within its Google Drive and Google Photos platforms. In total, 600 photos and videos were reported and submitted to law enforcement.

Police say 16 images depicted children engaged in various sex acts and were uploaded by a Google user under the name of Brian Howland.

Subpoenaed records revealed that the IP addresses used to access the Google account were linked to the address of Brian Thomas Howland, 56, in Memphis.

Investigators executed a search warrant for the Google account, which yielded additional child sexual exploitation imagery. The total number of findings was not disclosed.

A warrant was issued for Howland’s arrest on Tuesday. He was booked the same day on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Howland is being held on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

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