Lower Man Arrested on Child Porn Charge

LOWER TOWNSHIP – Law enforcement announced the arrest earlier this month of a local man on child pornography charges.
Rene J. Valentin, 31, of Lower Township, was charged with third-degree possession of child pornography, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Lower Township Police Chief Kevin Lewis announced in a joint release issued April 28.
According to law enforcement, an investigation revealed Valentin allegedly downloaded various images and videos of child sexual abuse material. He turned himself into police to face the charge April 10, according to the release. 
On March 10, investigators said they carried out a court-authorized search warrant at Valentin’s residence. He was not home, the release said, but his vehicle was seized, and investigators later allegedly found evidence of the crime in the vehicle. 
The Cape May County Regional S.W.A.T. Team, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit & Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (Atlantic City) and the Lower Township Police Department all assisted in the search, according to the release.
A conviction on a third-degree offense can carry three to five years in state prison in New Jersey. 
The prosecutor also stated the investigation is part of an ongoing effort by his office, and the New Jersey State Police ICAC Task Force, to identify individuals involved in the exploitation of children and who possess or distribute child pornography. 
Sutherland urged residents 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, 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. 
The above-named individual is presumed innocent, unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.