A Batesville man already jailed on a child endangerment-related charge is now facing 42 additional felony counts after investigators say they discovered a large volume of child sexual abuse material on his cellphone.
Independence County Circuit Court records filed Wednesday charge Ethan Allen Hamm, 33, with 42 counts of pandering or possessing a visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, each a class C felony.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Hamm was arrested June 13 on a charge of internet stalking of a child. Investigators say he had been communicating online with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy and arranged to meet the child at a Batesville hotel, where he was taken into custody.
During a subsequent interview with Batesville police, the affidavit states, Hamm acknowledged having child sexual abuse material on his phone and told investigators he had also been in contact with several other minors online, though he said he had not attempted to meet them in person.
According to the affidavit, police obtained a search warrant for Hamm’s phone, and a forensic download of the device recovered more than 118,000 photos and over 6,100 videos, a large majority of which investigators determined to be pornographic in nature. The affidavit states the material depicted children ranging from infancy to approximately 14 years old.
Hamm’s bond has been set at $250,000. 
Ethan Allen Hamm (Image: Independence County Sheriff’s Office)
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