By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Burlington County reported that a 34-year-old Mount Holly man was charged Friday with possession of Explicit Images of Minors.
According to a statement released by Burlington County Prosecutor Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw, Austin Metivier was charged with one count of Possession of CSAM (Third Degree).
The defendant is a corrections officer at the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly. He was taken into custody Friday at his place of employment and lodged in the Camden County Correctional Facility in Camden pending a first appearance in Superior Court.
During the execution of a search warrant at his residence, multiple electronic devices were seized, and detectives from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit will examine them.
The case will now be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.
Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw said the investigation began last month after Pemberton Township police were informed that a hard drive belonging to Metivier contained Explicit Images of Minors.
A forensic examination of the hard drive later revealed that it contained multiple explicit photos of minor females.