TOMS RIVER — A 32-year-old Toms River man was arrested Tuesday after investigators linked his residence and electronic devices to the alleged exchange of child sexual abuse material online, authorities said.
Cory Baxter was charged July 21 with distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
The investigation began after the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Authorities said the tip involved a person allegedly sending and receiving illegal images through the internet.
Investigators with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad traced an internet protocol address to a home in Toms River. Authorities said the Kik messaging application was allegedly used to access and exchange the material.
Detectives later identified Baxter as the person connected to the account, prosecutors said.
Members of the High Tech Crime Squad and Toms River Township police executed a court-approved search warrant at Baxter’s residence Tuesday. A preliminary review of electronic devices found that an email address tied to the Kik account was stored on Baxter’s cellphone, authorities said.
A complete forensic examination of the seized devices remains underway.
Baxter was taken into custody without incident and lodged in the Ocean County Jail while awaiting a detention hearing.
The charges are accusations, and Baxter is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Billhimer credited the prosecutor’s High Tech Crime Squad, Toms River Township police, the state police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with assisting in the investigation.
