The Attorney General’s Office announced that Paul Collette, 55, of Windsor, Vermont, was arraigned today on 12 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges are the result of a criminal investigation conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which includes personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Windsor Police Department, and Hartford Police Department.
The investigation began when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that an individual had uploaded suspected images of child sexual abuse material onto the Synchronoss cloud storage platform. Based on this tip and subsequent criminal investigation, including the execution of a residential search warrant, Mr. Collette was identified as a suspect. During a forensic review of Mr. Collette’s cell phone, officers located suspected child sexual abuse material.
Mr. Collette pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Windsor Unit Criminal Division. Judge Heather Gray presided over the court and ordered conditions of release that restrict Mr. Collette’s access to minors and dogs and limit his access to 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 online exploitation of children. Reports can be made regarding 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, NCMEC offers support with emotional and peer support services as well as assistance in removing content from the internet and locating mental health professionals. For more information visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call their 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.