Burlington, Iowa — Detectives with the Burlington Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division arrested a Burlington man earlier this week following a months-long investigation into child pornography.
The department received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Detectives identified 43-year-old Carl Shirts II of Burlington as a suspect. After executing search warrants and gathering evidence, investigators obtained arrest warrants for Shirts.
On September 4, 2025, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Shirts was taken into custody and charged in Des Moines County with 56 counts of Child Pornography—Purchase/Possess Depiction of a Minor in Sex Acts, a Class D felony, and one count of Invasion of Privacy, an aggravated misdemeanor.
Shirts was transported to the Des Moines County Jail, where he was booked and is being held on bond.
Authorities emphasize that a criminal charge is only an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.