Bloomington Man Charged With Child Exploitation Faces New Allegations
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A Bloomington man already charged in a child exploitation case faces new charges in a separate case.
Dustin R. Shertzer, 40, faces one count each of child exploitation and child solicitation and two counts of possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM). Prosecutors filed the case in Monroe Circuit Court last week.
According to court records, Shertzer was previously charged with child exploitation and possession of child pornography in 2024. That case is still being adjudicated, and Shertzer was out on bond. Court records indicated that the bond has been revoked following his arrest in June 2026.
The new investigation started with a complaint from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which notified authorities of objectionable material uploaded to a Dropbox account, a service for storing files and data in the cloud.
Investigators found multiple sexually explicit files involving juveniles under the age of 12. Further investigation traced the Dropbox account to Shertzer.
Authorities were already familiar with him from the 2024 case. In fact, the detective investigating the 2026 case also investigated Shertzer in the previous matter.
Investigators served a search warrant at Shertzer’s home on Stipp Road on June 1, 2026. While speaking to a detective, Shertzer denied having any child sex abuse material in his possession and said he’d never heard of Dropbox.
When asked about his phone, Shertzer said he uses it for games and told authorities he only uses his computer “as an alarm clock.” When investigators asked him for the passcode for his cellphone, Shertzer said he needed to speak to a lawyer, ending further questioning.
According to court documents, later examination of the phone showed Shertzer attempted to delete Kik, an online messaging app that investigators said, along with Telegram, is often “used regarding the possession and distribution of child sex abuse material.”
Examination of Shertzer’s Kik account showed he had been communicating with a juvenile on June 1, the day police served the search warrant. He told the girl she should consider modeling and asked her for pictures. He also said she should travel to Indiana for a photo shoot.
The account showed that Shertzer attempted to have conversations with other minors on Kik.
Investigators examined Shertzer’s Telegram account, which showed he’d been communicating with a 13-year-old girl about modeling. He invited her to fly to Indianapolis for a photo shoot. When the girl asked if he had his own studio, he said the shoot would happen at an Airbnb. He also discussed engaging in sexual intercourse with her, according to court documents.
The girl also offered to recruit models for Shertzer, who told her that “12-17 is the best ages,” according to court documents. He later clarified that he wanted her to recruit girls “no older than 16.”
Court records indicate Shertzer’s bail has been revoked. He’s scheduled for a bail review hearing on June 18.
