Hartford Resident Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Hartford Resident Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Attorney General’s Office today announced that Mark McClintock, 64, of Hartford, Vermont, was arraigned on four felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse materials and one count of promoting a recording of sexual conduct. The charges brought against Mr. McClintock are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Hartford Police Department.

This investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip was reported by Instagram after an individual uploaded an image of child sexual abuse material from an electronic device onto its servers. Based on the criminal investigation of that tip, Mr. McClintock was identified as the owner of the account that uploaded the image onto Instagram. Law enforcement personnel executed a search warrant on Mr. McClintock’s residence, which revealed that he was actively in possession of child sexual abuse materials. Additionally, Mr. McClintock has a previous criminal conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct in Vermont.

Mr. McClintock pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Dickson Corbett presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict Mr. McClintock’s access to minors, electronic devices, and 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.