The Attorney General’s Office has announced the arraignment of Wentworth C. Comes, Jr., 83, of Hancock, Vermont, on three felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and two misdemeanor counts. The charges against Mr. Comes are the result of a criminal investigation by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which includes personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Vermont State Police, and Randolph Police Department.
The investigation was initiated following three CyberTipline reports received by VT-ICAC from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These tips were reported by Microsoft after an individual uploaded files suspected to be child sexual abuse materials onto their cloud storage servers. Following a thorough criminal investigation into these tips, which included executing a residential search warrant, Mr. Comes was identified as a suspect.
During a forensic review of Mr. Comes’ laptop and SD card, officers located the suspected child sexual abuse material. Mr. Comes pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Unit, Criminal Division today. Presiding Judge David Fenster ordered conditions of release that restrict Mr. Comes’ access to minors, electronic devices, and the internet.
VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet including production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. They also provide forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training along with public education and outreach.
The NCMEC is the nation’s centralized reporting system for online exploitation of children. It accepts reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism and trafficking among others.
Those recovering from child sexual exploitation can seek help from NCMEC with emotional support, removal of content from the internet or locating mental health professionals. To make a report or seek help call their 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit their respective websites.