Brandon Novak, a seasoned professional bowler with over a decade of experience in the sport, finds himself entangled in child pornography charges following his arrest during the 2024 US Open tournament at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis on February 1, 2025. Novak, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, was reportedly taken into custody midway through his second game at the competition.
According to Ross County jail records, Novak is currently detained on multiple counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor. He was first indicted on these charges in Ohio back in January, with 15 felony counts now pending against him, according to county records. The specifics of these charges include five counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and ten counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.
Novak, who was not listed as having an attorney at the time of this report, is next scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on March 21. The arrest occurred during his participation in the US Open tournament; however, he still managed to finish in the 36th position, securing himself $1,500 in winnings.
The Chillicothe Police Department initiated an investigation into Novak as early as February 2023 after receiving a complaint regarding his Facebook account being linked to child pornography, according to a report obtained by The Columbus Dispatch via the Ohio Public Records Act. During police interrogations with Novak, he initially claimed that he had purchased pornography from someone on Snapchat unknowingly, but later confessed to purposely purchasing child pornography and taking measures to hide his actions.
The 35-year-old bowler had been a consistent presence in professional tournaments for the past ten years before this unsettling incident.
