The Attorney General’s Office announced that Mark Bissonnette, 54, of Groton, Vermont, was arraigned Thursday on six felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials and one felony count of Attempted Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance. The charges brought against Mr. Bissonnette are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Vermont State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations.
The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual had conversations involving child sexual abuse and online enticement on the social media platform Kik. Based on the criminal investigation of that tip, Mr. Bissonnette was identified and found to be in possession of suspected child sexual abuse materials.
Mr. Bissonnette pleaded not guilty to all counts at his arraignment in Vermont Superior Court, Caledonia Unit, Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Michael Kainen presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict Mr. Bissonnette’s access to minors, alcohol, deadly weapons, electronic devices, and the internet, and also confine him to a residence under a 24-hour curfew with exceptions for medical and legal needs.
VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. VT-ICAC also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach.
Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Anyone can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet. To make a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.
Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CONTACT: Amelia Vath, Outreach and Communications Coordinator, 802-828-3171