Lost phone leads to arrest of Boaz man on child porn charges

Kenneth Wayne Ennis

Boaz police say A lost cellphone led to an arrest for child pornography charges Thursday.

56 year old Kenneth Wayne Ennis,  of Boaz, was arrested at his residence Thursday morning and charged with four counts of child pornography and four counts of production of child pornography.

The investigation began after someone found a cellphone in the parking lot of a Boaz business. While trying to find out who owned the phone, images were discovered on the phone that were believed to be child pornography. The phone was turned over to Boaz police and a search warrant was obtained to legally search for the images on the phone.

The Electronic Crimes Task Force in Hoover completed a forensic analysis of the phone and located four images that led to the four charges against Ennis.

Investigators say it is not known at this time if the child in the images is a child known to Ennis.

When Ennis was arrested, police executed a search warrant at his home and seized several computers and other electronic devices. As the investigation continues, those devices will be searched and could result in more charges.

Ennis was transported to the Marshall County Jail where he was held on a $500,000 bond.