BELLEPLAIN – The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office has announced the arrest of Charles Chapman, 31, of Holly Lane in Belleplain, for possession of child pornography.

The investigation stemmed from a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip that revealed that an unidentified subject, subsequently identified as Chapman, possessed various images of child sexual abuse via his cloud account.

On Thursday, Feb. 1, a search warrant was carried out at Chapman’s residence involving the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations-Atlantic City, and the New Jersey State Police-Woodbine Barracks.

As a result, it was learned that Chapman possessed and/or viewed child sexual abuse material, the Prosecutor’s Office said. Chapman was arrested and charged with third-degree possession of child pornography and lodged in the Cape May County Correctional Center pending court proceedings.

An individual charged with a third-degree crime is subject to a prison term of three to five years.

Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said the investigation is part of the ongoing effort by his office’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which he said are dedicated to investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in the exploitation of children and those who possess or distribute child sexual abuse materials.

Sutherland urged the citizens of Cape May County 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, or by contacting Cape May County Crime Stoppers at 609-889-3597.