Professional bowler Brandon Novak was arrested during the U.S. Open professional bowling tournament earlier this month and is facing 15 charges related to child pornography.
Booked into Ross County Jail in Ohio on February 22, Novak is charged with five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and 10 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.
Brightly colored bowling balls lined up in ball return. (Denise Panyik-Dale)
Novak was arrested by U.S. Marshals following the filing of a “secret indictment,” the New York Post reports.
A video on YouTube shows Novak bowling his first ball of the tournament before walking out of camera shot. The video claims Novak was apprehended while off-camera.
Bowling pins arranged on tracks at illuminated alley (Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images)
Novak was extradited from Indiana to Ohio soon after the arrest.
The investigation into Novak began in February of 2023 after authorities became aware of his Facebook account being associated with pornography. A search warrant was eventually issued and executed. During Novak’s discussion with police, he admitted to purchasing material that contained pornography via Snapchat but denied knowing it contained pornography.
Novak is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on March 21.