By: Yuritza Arroyo
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on June 20, Michael Kozdron, 41, of Little Egg Harbor Township, was charged with the Distribution of Explicit Images of Minors, Possession of Explicit Images of Minors, Maintaining or Operating a Controlled Dangerous Substance Production Facility, and Possession of More than Ten but less than Fifty Marijuana Plants with Intent to Distribute.
According to an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, an IP address was identified and associated with a Little Egg Harbor Township residence as a location where an individual was uploading images of explicit images of minors to the internet using BitTorrent Peer 2 Peer file sharing software; that individual was ultimately identified as Kozdron.
Officials say on June 20, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, and Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant on Kozdron’s residence in Little Egg Harbor Township.
Upon entry, Detectives observed - in plain view - 14 marijuana plants, lights, seeds, ventilation and irrigation systems, and assorted paraphernalia utilized to maintain and grow marijuana plants.
According to Detectives, further investigation revealed that Kozdron had utilized a laptop found at the residence to both upload and download in excess of 1000 explicit images of minors from the internet.
Kozdron was taken to Little Egg Harbor Township Police Headquarters, processed, and subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he presently remains pending a detention hearing.