Ind. (WPTA) – A 25-year-old New Haven man has taken a plea deal that calls for no prison time after being accused of soliciting children through a virtual reality game
BACKGROUND:New Haven man accused of soliciting children in virtual reality game arrested
Austin Bower was charged with two counts of child solicitation and dissemination of matter harmful to minors. He allegedly used Rec Room, a “virtual reality massively multiplayer online game,” to communicate with users who identified themselves as young as 10 years old.
Police became aware of the allegations through a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in late 2024. The gaming platform reported several messages sent by a user.
In February 2025, a New Haven Police detective received another tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Sony that first seemed unrelated. Different IP addresses were given in each report, but both were tied to Bower’s home, according to court records obtained by 21Investigates.
Bower and his mother were home when police came to serve a warrant and told the suspect’s mother they were at her home due to illegal internet activity and asked who the person would be to do that. She allegedly replied that it would be her son.
She didn’t seem upset because her son “had been in trouble before” for something similar, court documents say.
Bower denied knowing anything about the tips.
Sony confirmed that a PS5 collected from Bower’s home was permanently banned for “child porn activity,” court records show.
Bower accepted a plea offer on Thursday that allows him to plead guilty to child solicitation in exchange for six years on probation.
ALSO:Public nudity charges filed against New Haven man who allegedly solicited children in virtual reality game
He is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning for a hearing in a separate case for public nudity, in which he is accused of exposing himself to a neighbor’s security cameras.
Court records say Bower was in view of a public road, where other neighbors could have witnessed his actions.
If you suspect a child is experiencing abuse, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or report child sexual exploitationhere.
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