Why was Mr Crafty Pants AKA Michael David Booth arrested? Child p*rn allegations against the YouTuber explored 

Popular YouTuber Mr Crafty Pants (originally named Michael David Booth) was arrested last week over alleged distribution of child p*rnography. Booth is well known for sharing DIY craft tutorials on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

On Wednesday, October 22, Mr Crafty Pants was arrested in Kentucky because he shared alleged disturbing sexual images and videos involving minors, per Wave News. The YouTuber reportedly posted six such photos on the social media app, Kik. Three photos among those featured minors allegedly below 12 years of age, while the other three featured minor teenagers.

According to an arrest report obtained via Wave News, the images featuring children under 12 were reportedly circulated online at least 12 times, while the ones with teenagers were shared around 15 times. Fox 56 further reported that Mr Crafty Pants, aka Booth, shared these images on Kik between August 5 and 7.

Two "selfie-type" images of Booth were also found after a search of the related Kik account, allegedly confirming it was controlled by the YouTuber. Wave News reported that a subpoena for the IP address used to circulate these images was also linked to Mr Crafty Pants' home address in Prospect, Louisville.

After his arrest, Booth entered a plea of not guilty on all charges. He was charged with 20 counts of possession and distribution of matter portraying sexual performance by a minor. The YouTuber appeared in court on Thursday (October 24), with the judge setting his bond to $150K. He was also restricted from having any contact with minors and having no social media or Internet access.

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Mr Crafty Pants' neighbours speak up following his arrest on alleged child p*rnography distribution charges

After Mr Crafty Pants was arrested in his village in Louisville, many of his neighbours spoke about the incident, expressing their shock. Laura Nash, who lives across the YouTuber, told WDRB:

"So we walked out our front door on Wednesday to a very heavy police presence. My heart dropped. Felt sick to my stomach. It was gut-wrenching and eye-opening. I know that he followed a bunch of my friends online, so it’s worrying to me to wonder what he may have been viewing of their life. It’s an eye-opener for sure."

Speaking as a mother, Nash added:

"It’s scary to think what he could have had access to. It feels like a gut punch. It makes you feel really vulnerable. It’s terrifying, as a mom, to hear about something like this. It just makes you realize that you’re not safe anywhere."

Lindsay Smart also shared her experience, as she described seeing a sign that said "I smell children" ahead of Halloween in front of Booth's home.

"You feel like you know your neighbours, but what goes on behind closed doors…I guess we never know. It’s sickening, it’s disgusting, and I’m so glad he got caught," Smart said.

Mr Crafty Pants is well known for his DIY craft content, which has shocked many viewers as his content was consumed by family audiences and children as well. He has over 600K subscribers on YouTube and a loyal fanbase on both Instagram and Facebook. His last post on YouTube came four months ago, while he was active on Facebook two days before his arrest.

The police revealed that the investigation into Mr Crafty Pants began in August, when Kik reportedly flagged his account for inappropriate content. They were finally able to trace him back using his IP address.

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According to Wave News, if Booth can pay his $ 150,000 bond, he will be released but will be subject to home detention with no internet access. Authorities have yet to reveal further details on the case, and whether other victims or more than one victim have been involved in the case.

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar