Professional bowler Brandon Novak is facing child pornography charges after he was reportedly arrested midway through a tournament earlier this month.
Novak, 35, was extradited from Indiana to Ross County jail in Ohio on multiple counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, according to the jail’s records.
Novak was first indicted in Ohio in January and is facing 15 felony charges; five charges are pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, and ten charges are illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, according to county records.
The Chillicothe, Ohio, native wasn’t listed as having an attorney. According to county records, he is next scheduled to be in court for a pre-trial hearing on March 21.
Novak was reportedly arrested midway through his second game at the 2024 US Open at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on February 1. In a video showing the US Open competition, Novak is out of shot but several players can be seen looking off screen at some commotion.
Withdrawing from the competition, Novak still finished in 36th position at the US Open, high enough for $1,500 in winnings, tournament results show.
According to a report obtained by The Columbus Dispatch through an Ohio Public Records Act request, Novak had been under investigation by the Chillicothe Police Department since February 2023.
Per the report, Chillicothe police were first notified of Novak last year when a complaint was filed regarding his Facebook account being associated with child pornography, according to The Dispatch.
During police interviews with Novak, he said he purchased pornography from someone on Snapchat, but initially said that he did not know the videos would contain child pornography, The Dispatch reported. He later admitted that he knew he was purchasing child pornography and was taking steps to conceal it, according to The Dispatch’s review of the police report.
Novak has been competing in professional bowling tournaments for at least a decade.