DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office

DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office

In March of 2021, DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) was contacted by a concerned parent regarding an adult contacting their child through Discord. Discord is one of many smart phone apps that allows users to communicate through calls or chats.

The case was investigated thoroughly by the DCSO Criminal Investigative Division (CID). The user was identified as 25-year-old, Cody Alan Eckhardt, from Muncie, Indiana.

A search warrant was executed on his Discord account, and it was determined that not only had Eckhardt been talking explicitly to a minor, but he also solicited for the minor to send explicit images! In some conversations, Eckhardt even described vulgar details of fantasized sexual encounters.

An arrest warrant for the offense was granted and Eckhardt was arrested by Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana. Pursuant to his arrest, they also found him to be in possession of child pornography and he was charged accordingly.

Detectives of the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Muncie, Indiana advised at the time there were two separate Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) cases involving Eckhardt.

On June 24, 2023, Cody Alan Eckhardt was extradited to DeSoto County Jail for the charge of Use of Computer to Seduce/Solicit Child for Unlawful or Sexual Conduct.

Sheriff Potter wants to emphasize just because you are out of state, doesn’t mean you can get away with harming our children! You WILL go to jail!

DCSO wants to remind parents to monitor the apps used by their children. We want to thank Sarasota County (FL) Sheriff’s Office for creating this helpful list of phone and social media apps for you to be on the lookout for.