Professional Bowler Brandon Novak Arrested Mid-Tournament Facing Child Pornography Charges

Brandon Novak, a professional bowler from Chillicothe, Ohio, was arrested in the middle of a tournament earlier this month and is now facing multiple child pornography charges.

Novak was arrested during the 2024 U.S. Open in Indianapolis at Royal Pin Woodland on February 1. He was extradited to the Ross County jail in Ohio this past week, according to the Associated Press, with February 22 listed as his booking date.

The U.S. Marshals arrested the bowler mid-tournament after a "secret indictment" led to his warrant in Ross County.

Novak has been charged with five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and another 10 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material.

A YouTube video posted earlier this month shows Novak bowling in the seventh frame of his second game, and after leaving the camera's view is when the arrest allegedly took place. The video description cites a person who was in attendance at the tournament explaining that two federal marshals put Novak in handcuffs and marched him out of the building.

Kris Prather, located on the far right side of the video, appears to have seen the arrest occur based on his reaction.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, Novak had been under investigation since February 2023 after Ohio police were notified about his Facebook account being associated with child pornography. 

During an interview with police, Novak said he purchased pornography from someone on Snapchat, but initially said he did not know the video contained child pornography. He later admitted that he did know about the child aspect of the pornography and was taking steps to conceal it, according to the Dispatch's review of the police report.

Novak, who has been competing professionally for a decade, is set for a pre-trial hearing on March 21 while remaining in custody.