A Hammonton man has been charged with multiple counts of possession and distribution of images of child abuse and child exploitation, following an Investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, High Technology Criminal Investigations Unit, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
According to authorities, on May 15th, Robert Houck, 41, was charged with the following offenses:
• Third degree Possession of child abuse and child exploitation images
• Second degree Distribution of child abuse and child exploitation images
• Second degree Possession of child abuse and child exploitation images with the intent to distribute
• Second degree Storing or Maintaining Child Abuse and Child Exploitation Images using a File-Sharing Program
Officials said Houck’s arrest came after a month-long on-line investigation into the distribution of child abuse images on the BitTorrent Peer-to-Peer file sharing network. Hammonton Municipal Court Judge Frank Raso found probable cause for the issuance of arrest warrants for Robert Houck.
These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page.
People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.