BALTIMORE CO. MAN ARRESTED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

(OWINGS MILLS, MD) -- Members of the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit arrested a Baltimore County man today in connection with the possession and distribution of child pornography.

The accused is identified as Chavez Jackson, 40, of the unit block of Comill Court, Owings Mills, Md. Jackson turned himself in to the State Police Computer Crimes Unit investigator this morning at the Golden Ring Barrack. He was charged with three counts of distributing and ten counts of possessing child pornography.

Jackson was taken before a District Court commissioner and was held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 90 years in prison and/or $100,000 in fines.

The investigation began when a trooper assigned to the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified a computer on the Internet that was offering pornographic videos of children for others to download. Troopers were able to trace the computer back to Jackson’s residence. A search warrant for his residence was subsequently served and investigators seized a computer and several devices capable of storing digital data.

A forensic examination of the computer equipment was conducted by the Maryland State Police Computer Forensics Laboratory. The examination produced a large quantity of images and videos of child pornography. As a result of the pornographic videos downloaded from the computer traced to the accused and the images recovered following the search warrant, troopers applied for and obtained the criminal charges.

The Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is comprised of police agencies from around the state. Its primary mission is to protect children from computer-facilitated sexual exploitation. The Task Force works cooperatively with law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to provide resources to combat these crimes. Additionally, the Task Force provides community awareness campaigns helping to prevent the spread of these crimes through education.