The Attorney General’s Office announced that Christopher Newhall, 38, of St. George, Vermont, was arraigned today on three felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, two felony counts of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance, and two misdemeanor counts of Voyeurism. The charges brought against Mr. Newhall are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), Homeland Security Investigations, Burlington Police Department, and Vermont State Police.
The investigation began when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was uploading suspected images of child sexual abuse materials to their Verizon/Synchronoss account. Based on the criminal investigation of this tip, Mr. Newhall was identified as the suspected source of the uploads. Further investigation revealed that Mr. Newhall was suspected of generating child sexual abuse materials through the surreptitious recording of a child.
Mr. Newhall pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Navah Spero presiding, ordered conditions of release that prohibit Mr. Newhall’s contact with minors and access to the internet.
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: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171