DEL HAVEN – A Del Haven man was arrested Friday, Jan. 5, and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography, otherwise known as Child Sexual Abuse Materials.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Middle Township Police Chief Jennifer Pooler issued a joint press release announcing the arrest of Patrick L. Grace, 35, of Park Avenue in Del Haven. As in more than a dozen cases from 2023, the investigation stemmed from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTip that revealed an unidentified person, later identified as Grace, possessed images or videos of CSAM and uploaded it to a social media account.
Members of a multi-jurisdictional task force executed a search warrant on Grace’s Park Avenue residence and seized several items of evidentiary value, according to the release, which are pending analysis. As a result of the investigation, Grace was arrested and charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child (possession of CSAM) and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (distribution of CSAM). Grace was lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Center pending court proceedings.
Individuals charged with a second-degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years in New Jersey state prison and individuals charged with a third-degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of three to five years in state prison.
Sutherland thanked the Middle Township Police Department, New Jersey State Parole Board and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations-Atlantic City for their assistance with this investigation. He said this investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to identify individuals involved in the exploitation of children and who possess or distribute CSAM.
Citizens of Cape May County are urged to report any information regarding child exploitation or any criminal activity within the community. Information can be reported to the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, or anonymously on the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office website at cmcpo.tips, as well as through the Cape May County Sheriff’s Tip Line at cmcsheriff.net by clicking on anonymous tip, or by contacting Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.
