Cyber Tip Uncovers Child Porn; Austin Man Faces 14 Charges
Austin, MN (KROC-AM News) - A cyber tip received by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has resulted in 14 felony charges against an Austin man accused of producing and possessing child pornography.
The criminal complaint filed in Mower County Court last Friday says the charges against 40-year-old Jason Dean Vandeweerd stem from an investigation launched in late June after the BCA forwarded the tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to the Austin Police Department. The tip indicated Microsoft had detected that a user uploaded multiple files of suspected child sexual abuse material and provided associated IP addresses.
Minnesota BCA Forwarded Case to Austin Police
The court document says that led investigators to issue a subpoena, which prompted T-Mobile to provide information identifying the suspect as Vanderweerd. The investigator assigned to the case also learned that, until four years ago, Vandeweerd had been required to register as a predatory offender.
The complaint indicates Austin police reviewed the files involved in the cyber tip and determined they contained child sexual abuse material and depictions of nude children, including images of 7-and 8-year-old girls being sexually abused. Further investigation led to the issuance of a search warrant for Vandeweerd's home in Austin.
Search Warrant Leads to Arrest and Firearm Seizure
The charges say the search resulted in the seizure of a variety of electronic devices and multiple firearms. The court document also says Vandeweerd was arrested on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.
The complaint states that forensic examinations of the seized devices uncovered numerous videos and images of child sexual abuse material, including depictions of sexual assaults on children as young as infants. The evidence also includes a recording of a computer screen in Vandeweerd's residence that displayed a sexually explicit livestream of a young girl.
His conditional bail was set at $30,000.
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Gallery Credit: Minnesota Now
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