LOGAN — A 39-year-old Providence man accused of downloading hundreds of child pornography files has waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Chad David Hubbard was arrested Jan. 24 after police reportedly seized more than 850 images and videos at his home.
According to court records, Hubbard appeared Monday in 1st District Court in Logan for a preliminary hearing, where a judge would have determined whether or not to bind the suspect over for trial. He was previously charged with 14 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
After waiving the hearing, defense attorney Ray Malouf entered pleas of “not guilty” to the charges. He asked for time to continue negotiating the case with prosecutors.
According to the arrest report, the Logan City Police Department received a cybertip in April 2021, detailing how a Yahoo email account was being used to exchange child pornography. The account was tracked to a phone number, registered to Hubbard.
During the course of the investigation, Hubbard, who was originally living at a home in Logan, moved to his current residence in Providence. Police obtained a warrant for the IP addresses at both locations.
On Jan. 24, police served a warrant to Hubbard’s Providence home. During a search of the residence, they seized a USB flash drive. It contained 43 videos of child pornography, most involving boys between the age of 3 and 15-years-old, according to the report.
Police also located what was suspected to be Hubbard’s cell phone during the search. It allegedly contained over 800 images of female children dressed in minimal clothing, and in provocative and revealing poses. Most of the females appeared to be approximately 10-years-old.
Hubbard was questioned by investigators at the police department. He reportedly admitted to owning the seized cellphone and previously accessing the Yahoo email account before being locked out. He denied though any involvement with child pornography.
The arrest report didn’t specify whether or not any of the photos or videos were of local children.
During Monday’ hearing, Judge Edwin Peterson accepted Hubbard’s waiver. He scheduled a pretrial conference for Sept. 11.
Hubbard is currently out of jail on $1,500 bond. He could face up to 15-years in prison, if convicted.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.