MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX- Pct. 4 Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden’s Office arrested a Kingwood man Friday on a pair of first-degree felony charges that culminated from a lengthy and painstaking investigation.
Marthaniel Jermaine Dunning, 29, is charged with first-degree felony Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and first-degree felony Possession of Child Pornography, more than 50 depictions or videos. His bond on the two charges totals $500,000.
In March of 2024, a Pct. 4 Detective received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating a person in East Montgomery County had uploaded Child Pornography onto their social media account. The Pct. 4 Detective launched an investigation that eventually led him to secure a search warrant for Dunning’s residence off of Ford Road.
In August of 2024 Pct. 4 CID Detectives and SRT, along with Members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and Members of Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant at Dunning’s residence off Ford Rd in Porter, Tx. During execution of the search warrant, digital devices were collected as evidence along with a small amount of Marijuana.
While on scene, Detectives and Investigators saw what appeared to be altered digital photos of nude children that Dunning claimed were made by Artificial Intelligence, which he believed was not a crime. Â Investigators secured the digital evidence for further investigation.
Detectives also discovered the children who lived with Dunning were in unsanitary living conditions, including soiled beds, active insects throughout the home, used adult sex toys out in the open and accessible to the children in the children’s living area. Due to what was discovered Dunning was then arrested for Possession of Marijuana and two counts of Child Endangerment. He was later released on bond.
The Pct. 4 investigation of Dunning’s social media account data continued, and on Friday the Detective discovered a homemade digital video of Dunning allegedly committing the sexual assault of a child. With this evidence and the assistance of Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Frances Manzo Precinct 4 obtained an arrest warrant for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and Possession of Child Pornography (Video), both first-degree felonies. Within an hour, Pct. 4 Detectives and Deputies arrested Dunning and he was transported and booked into Montgomery County Jail in Conroe without incident.
The Pct. 4 Detective assigned to the Montgomery County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforce was assisted by members of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and members of Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.