News footage of Michael David Booth aka YouTube”s “Mr. Crafty Pants” during his court appearance on Oct. 23 (WAVE).
Michael David Booth, aged 39, is widely recognized as “Mr. Crafty Pants” on YouTube, where he has cultivated a significant following across YouTube, Instagram, and various other social media channels. However, authorities allege that his actions on the platform Kik have led to his arrest in Kentucky.
As reported by local NBC affiliate WAVE, an anonymous source tipped off authorities about a Kik account disseminating child sexual abuse material in August. During the investigation, police linked selfies found on the account to Booth. Further details can be found here and here.
The arrest citation revealed that the IP address associated with the Kik account was traced back to Booth’s residence in Louisville. Authorities claim Booth was linked to three files involving children under 12 and another set of files featuring teenagers under 18. Allegedly, Booth shared the content featuring younger children at least ten times and the files with older minors more than 15 times.
Under the alias “Mr. Crafty Pants,” Booth was known for creating arts and crafts tutorials utilizing smart cutting machines. He had accumulated over 250,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook, and his YouTube channel boasted nearly 600,000 subscribers. According to local Fox affiliate WDKY, Booth’s last YouTube upload occurred approximately four months ago.
Under his “Mr. Crafty Pants” moniker, Booth made videos of arts and crafts tutorials using smart cutting machines. He had grown his follower base on Instagram and Facebook to more than 250,000; his YouTube audience reached nearly 600,000 followers. Local Fox affiliate WDKY reported that his most recent video on YouTube was posted about four months ago.
Booth was arrested on Oct. 22 and appeared in court the following day. He pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of distributing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under age 12, 15 counts of distributing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor over age 12 but under age 18, three counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor under 12, and one count of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor over age 12 but under age 18 (first offense).
His bond was set at $100,000, and he remains in custody at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 31.
