Brandon L. Novak, a professional bowler from Ohio, was arrested during a game at the U.S. Open tournament in Indiana. He has since been extradited back to Ohio to face multiple charges related to child sexual abuse material. Novak was apprehended earlier this month and is facing five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and 10 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, according to court documents.
The Ohio grand jury indicted Novak in January, drawing attention due to the circumstances of his arrest. A YouTube channel, 11thframe, posted footage from BowlTV showing Novak being arrested during a game on February 1 at the 2024 U.S. Open at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis. Reports indicate that Novak was in the seventh frame of his second game when two U.S. Marshals Service agents entered the facility and arrested him. Although the arrest occurred off-camera, Novak was reportedly handcuffed and escorted out by the federal agents.
Additional details about Novak’s arrest were provided in a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Columbus Dispatch. The Chillicothe Police Department began investigating Novak in February 2023 after receiving a tip via Facebook. The tipster claimed that an account linked to Novak was associated with child sexual abuse material.
Authorities subsequently obtained and executed a search warrant on Novak’s home. During an interview with detectives, Novak reportedly admitted to purchasing pornography from another user on Snapchat. However, he claimed he was unaware that any of the videos contained child sexual abuse material.
As the investigation progressed, Novak allegedly confessed to knowingly purchasing the videos and attempting to conceal his crime. Novak is currently detained at the Ross County Jail in Ohio. It remains unclear if a bond amount has been set. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 21 for a pretrial hearing.
Despite his arrest and subsequent withdrawal from the U.S. Open competition, Novak reportedly performed well enough to finish 36th in the event, earning a total of $1,500 in prize money.