CONTACT: Charity R. Clark, Chief of Staff, (802) 828-3171
Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced that Robert Scott, III, 61, of Rutland, Vermont, was arraigned on Wednesday, September 15, on two counts of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Materials and one count of Failure to Comply with the Sex Offender Registry Law. The charges brought against Mr. Scott are the result of a criminal investigation including the execution of residential and online data search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Vermont State Police, and with the assistance of the Rutland City Police Department.
The investigation was initiated when the VT-ICAC Task Force received CyberTipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was uploading what was suspected to be images of child sexual abuse materials, commonly referred to as “child pornography,” on the social media platform Facebook. Based upon the criminal investigation of these tips, Mr. Scott was identified as the source of the suspected content placed on the identified Facebook account.
Mr. Scott pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Vermont Superior Court, Rutland Criminal Division. The Court, Judge David Fenster presiding, ordered conditions of release which prohibit his contact with minors and access to the internet.
The VT-ICAC Task Force investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. The VT-ICAC Task Force also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach. The Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vermont State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies are affiliated with VT-ICAC Task Force.
The Attorney General 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.