Somerset County officials announced the arrest of Mr. Michael Iden, 46, of Deana Drive, Hillsborough.
Officials stated that on September 13, 2018, defendant Iden brought his HP Envy Notebook to an electronics store in Bridgewater, N.J. to be repaired.
The technical support team observed explicit images of children and contacted law enforcement, officials reported. A search warrant was subsequently obtained for defendant Iden’s computer.
According to officials, the New Jersey Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL) conducted a forensic examination of defendant Iden’s computer and located internet browsing artifacts indicative of Iden’s attempt to search for Explicit Images of Minors.
Officials stated that at approximately 10:30 am, on August 5, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit and officers from the Bridgewater Township Police Department located defendant Iden at his Deana Drive home and placed him under arrest for the attempted possession of Explicit Images of Minors.
Officials said that defendant Eden was charged with one count of 3rd degree Endangering the Welfare of a Minor for the Attempted Possession of Explicit Images of Minors after being processed at the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, defendant Iden was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, according to officials.
Officials request anyone with information pertaining to this investigation to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Unit at (908) 231-7100, or the Bridgewater Township Police Department at (908) 722-4111 or via the STOP it.