The FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated a home on the 3100 block of South Walnut Street Pike at about 7 a.m. Wednesday.
FBI Special Agent Wendy Osborne confirmed the investigation but said the “nature of the activity can’t be disclosed at this time.”
A resident at the home said he came back from work at about 9 a.m. and saw 12 to 13 law enforcement cars lined up on the long driveway and on the street. A large van was parked on the driveway, the man said.
The resident did not want to disclose his name, but said he did not know why the authorities searched his house, and received no warning in advance.
The man said authorities interviewed his brother inside the van on the driveway. The brother lives with the man and the man’s family in the white house on South Walnut Street Pike. Investigators searched the entire house and asked the residents to hand over their electronics.
They gave back the residents’ belongings and left the house at about 10:30 a.m., the man said. No arrests were made as of Wednesday.
He said he had no idea why the FBI would question his brother, and would not expect him to be tied to a case involving an internet crime against children.
The Bloomington Police Department assisted in conducting the search warrant, BPD Capt. Steve Kellams said.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was created to help law enforcement agencies in their investigations of offenders who use the Internet or other technology to sexually exploit children, according to its website. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
