Columbus police arrest registered sex offender living near elementary school

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A registered sex offender in the state of Washington was arrested in Columbus after police discovered he was living across from a local elementary school.

According to a Columbus police incident report, 36-year-old Nicholas Anderson was arrested without incident in the 300 block of South Grener Avenue on the far west side of the city.

A warrant was issued by the Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Columbus Police Exploited Children Unit after it was discovered that Anderson, a registered sex offender from the State of Washington, allegedly was in possession and distributed numerous videos and images depicting young children being sexually abused.

Police said that it used a database to search for an IP address which was utilizing the Bit-Torrent network to download and distribute hash-matched files known to contain child sexual assault materials between Oct. 8, 2023 and July 7, 2024. The name of the downloaded files made the illegal content apparent.

Court documents state that Anderson admitted to having the alleged material on a USB at his residence. Police said that he also did not register his address or employer in Franklin County and was living across the street from Stiles Elementary School in Westland.

Anderson, who was in Franklin County Municipal Court Wednesday, is charged with pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and failure to provide change of address. He was issued $230,000 in total bonds and is next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 13 for a preliminary hearing.