Portales man arrested in child sex case

A Portales man has been arrested for criminal sexual communication with a child after chatting online in an illicit manner with an officer posing as a 13-year-girl, according to a press release from the Curry County Sheriff's Office.

Brandon Bennik, 21, is being held on $5,000 bond, the release said. The charge is a fourth-degree felony. He was arrested Friday.

According to the release, Bennik used a Web camera to expose himself and perform sexual acts for what he believed was a 13-year-old girl and the images were captured by law enforcement.

Curry County sought the assistance of the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office in making the arrest. During the execution of a search warrant at Bennik's residence, law enforcement seized his computer, Web camera and also found narcotics and drug paraphernalia in his residence, the release said.

Charges related to the narcotics are pending, officials said.