COURT HOUSE – A 35-year-old North Cape May man has been charged with possession of child pornography after law enforcement said they found over 1,800 items of suspected child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) at his residence.
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Chief Kevin Lewis, of the Lower Township Police Department, announced the Feb. 10 arrest of John T. Gillespie Jr., of Townbank Road, in North Cape May, in a Feb. 13 release.
Gillespie’s arrest was the result of a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTip that revealed an unidentified subject, who was subsequently identified as Gillespie, possessed various videos and images considered to be CSAM and uploaded them to his personal Google account.
The investigation was concluded Feb. 10 as a result of the execution of a court-authorized search warrant on Gillespie’s residence. The search warrant was executed by members of the Cape May County Regional S.W.A.T. Team, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit & Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI-Atlantic City) and Lower Township Police Department.
At the time of the search, multiple computers, tablets and an external hard drive were seized from the residence and found to contain over 1,800 items of suspected CSAM, according to the release.
As a result of the investigation, Gillespie was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography, a crime of the second degree. Gillespie was then processed and transported to Cape Regional Medical Center, with the anticipation of being lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending court proceedings.
Persons charged with a second-degree crime are subject to a term of imprisonment of five to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.
Sutherland said this investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s 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.
To report any information regarding child exploitation or any criminal activity within the community, call the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, or anonymously report suspected activity 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.
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