Jeremy Ray, the owner of J-Ray’s Restaurant in Platte City, has been charged with the Class B felony of possession of child pornography.
The charge was filed by the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office on June 13 after a months-long undercover investigation.
Ray, 35, who lives in Kansas City in Clay County, plead not guilty to the charge July 1 and is free on a $15,000 surety bond. His next scheduled court appearance is Sept. 5 in Clay County Division 7 court in Liberty. If he is convicted of the charge, Ray faces a 5-15 year prison sentence.
According to Clay County court documents, an investigation that began last December eventually led authorities to Ray’s residence at 101 NE 83rd Street, where a search warrant was served March 25. Two computers were found in the search and a forensic exam uncovered 113 image files and 179 video files of suspected child pornography.
Earlier this year, J-Ray’s Restaurant, located at 1302 Platte Falls Road in Platte City, was named the Platte City Area Chamber of Commerce/EDC’s 2012 Business of the Year.