A Bloomfield man is facing multiple felonies after authorities allege he sexually assaulted a minor family member and exposed her to pornographic material.

Jerry Byers, 64, was arrested June 20 following a child molestation investigation conducted by the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. Byers is facing charges of child molesting where the defendant is at least 21 years old, incest when the victim is less than 16 years old, child solicitation, dissemination of matter harmful to minors, and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, all felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.

According to court documents, the investigation began June 10 after Detective David Elmore was assigned the case. During a forensic interview at Susie’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Bloomington, the child disclosed that Byers, a family member, had shown her pornography on a portable DVD player. She said the video depicted “boys' private parts in girls' mouths,” and said Byers suggested, “We should do that.” She recalled hiding her face in a pillow and refusing.

The child also alleged that on May 3, Byers sexually assaulted her while she was lying on a couch in his living room. She described specific acts of abuse and told investigators she later went to the bathroom to clean herself with toilet paper. She later contacted her mother via Facebook Messenger using Byers’ phone and told her what had happened. Her mother picked her up shortly after.

A search warrant was executed at Byers’ home on June 20, during which detectives found a portable DVD player containing a pornographic DVD, which the child identified. Police also discovered multiple smoking devices with the odor of burnt marijuana, as well as bags of suspected raw marijuana.

Byers was interviewed by detectives that same day and waived his Miranda rights. He admitted to being the child’s family member and said she had visited his home on May 3. He admitted rubbing her back and legs while she lay on the couch. He denied showing her pornography, though investigators found several pornographic videos in the residence. When asked if the child was lying, Byers reportedly told detectives she was not.

Byers was arrested the same day. His bond was set at $80,500 surety with 10 percent cash allowed.