Police arrest Sioux Falls man on possession of child pornography charges

A 46-year-old Sioux Falls man was arrested for eight counts of possession of child pornography Wednesday morning, according to officials with the Sioux Falls Police Department.

The man is James Allan Kooima. Department spokesman Sam Clemens said in Thursday morning's police briefing the case had been an ongoing investigation since Jan. 29, when a detective received a cyber tip from the National Center for Exploited Missing Children about a case of possible child pornography.

Clemens said the investigation revealed a Snapchat account was being used to either send or receive child pornography images. With that information, Sioux Falls Police had probable cause to arrest Kooima on Wednesday at 200 E. Benson Street.

A large amount of material was seized during the arrest, making it possible for additional charges to be made during this ongoing investigation. Clemens said there is no evidence of other social media, email or other online tools being used.

It is unknown if Kooima was employed and/or worked with children before his arrest. Details about the victims, including age have not been released.

Kooima’s first court appearance was expected to occur 1:30 p.m. Thursday, when a judge will decide if there is a bond or not.

Clemens advised parents or guardians to monitor their child’s social media use such as what apps they are using and if they are using social media at too young of an age.

“Having frequent conversations with your children on what is and is not appropriate isn’t always easy, but they certainly need to be had,” Clemens said. “...Making sure kids have the right information in case somebody approaches or talks to them in a questionable way is crucial and should always be reported to a trusted adult.”

This is an ongoing investigation.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls man faces 8 charges of possession of child porn