A Pennsylvania deputy sheriff’s officer with a vacation residence in Wildwood has been arrested and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography from that residence, the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland said James Christopher Buckley, 57, of Oak Hill View Drive in Gilbertsville, Montgomery County, was arrested on Tuesday, Feb. 20, following an investigation prompted by a March 16, 2020, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip.
The investigation found that an unidentified individual, subsequently identified as Buckley, possessed and distributed three images of child sexual abuse via his iCloud account. This occurred at Buckley’s vacation residence in Wildwood, the investigation revealed.
According to the affidavit of probable cause related to Buckley’s arrest, Buckley admitted to emailing the images to himself, accounting for the distribution charge. Buckley told investigators he had been searching for adult pornography when he came across the child sexual abuse images on the social media site Tumblr.
Buckley was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child for distribution of child pornography and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child for possession of child pornography. Investigators learned that Buckley is employed as a deputy sheriff’s officer for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Pennsylvania.
Montgomery County Sheriff Sean KilKenny issued a statement saying his office was informed of the arrest of Buckley on Feb. 20 on the offenses listed.
“As an agency committed to upholding the law and maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability, we take these allegations extremely seriously,” KilKenny’s statement said.
Buckley was immediately suspended pending the resolution of the investigation per office policy, the statement said. KilKenny said his office is cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities and conducting a requisite internal review.
“The conduct outlined in these charges is antithetical to the values and principles of our agency and an affront to the public’s trust. We remain steadfast in our commitment to serving and protecting the residents of Montgomery County,” KilKenny said.
Buckley is currently lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Facility pending court proceedings. An individual charged with a second-degree crime is subject to a state prison term of five to 10 years; an individual charged with a third-degree crime is subject to a term of three to five years.
This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in the exploitation of children and those who possess or distribute child pornography.
The Prosecutor’s Office urges citizens of Cape May County to report any information regarding child exploitation or any criminal activity within the community to the Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135, anonymously on the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office website, cmcpo.tips, or by contacting Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.
