GUILDERLAND — Blake Spears, 38, of 15 Harmony Hill Road in Guilderland, was ordered detained on Feb. 19, following his arrest on Feb. 15 on charges of distributing child pornography, according to a release from the United States Department of Justice.

Spears is due back in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York, in Albany, on March 4.

According to a criminal complaint signed by Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Andrew J. Zubik, Spears used Kik Messenger — an instant-messaging application known for preserving users’ anonymity, allowing them to register without providing a telephone number or real name.

Last December, Spears sent “numerous video files and pictures containing child pornography involving minor females” to other members of a Kik group, which is similar to a chat room, the complaint says.

Spears had the username “fist123456” and his account was registered under the first name “Bs” and the last name “Bs,” the complaint says; it was linked to an email address that included his surname. Kik Interactive Inc. provided the FBI with several IP addresses that username “fist123456” with screen name “Bs Bs” had used over the month of December 2018.

Zubik searched these IP addresses using a tool in the public domain and identified the service provider as Verizon, which provided the FBI with information from which Zubik could determine the 518 phone number assigned to Spears at his home, the complaint says.

A federal warrant was then secured to search Spears’s home, car, and electronic devices, which turned up a flash drive at his home containing images of adults performing sex acts on prepubescent children, male and female, according to the complaint. The complaint adds that Spears appeared to live alone.

The complaint lists four examples of files that were sent by the Kik usernam “fist123456” with the screen name “Bs Bs,” including scenes of adults engaging in sexual acts with naked females as young as 6 years old, and of young girls engaging in sexual acts together or alone.

On Feb. 15, officers stopped Spears to search his car, the complaint says. He was arrested at that time and spoke with Zubik, the complaint says.

Spears admitted that, “while drinking alcohol,” he had viewed child pornogoraphy on his phone, using Kik, and, “while drinking alcohol,” had sent it to other Kik users, the complaint says.

If convicted, Spears faces at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, as well as a term of post-release supervision of at least five years and up to life, the release said.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies including the Colonie Police Department and the New York State Police.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Barnett.