TOMS RIVER — A 21-year-old Lacey Township man has been indicted on charges stemming from alleged sexual communications with two teenage girls, authorities said.
An Ocean County grand jury indicted Seth Bowles on Sept. 9 on charges of manufacturing and possessing child sexual abuse material, sexual assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of distributing obscene material to a minor, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Authorities allege Bowles communicated with a 15-year-old girl between September 2025 and January 2026. During that period, he allegedly sent her nude photographs of himself and requested sexually explicit images from her.
Investigators said Bowles also directed the girl to perform sexual acts and send him photographs and videos of the conduct.
Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad and the Lacey Township Police Department searched Bowles’ home under a court-authorized warrant Jan. 15. Several electronic devices were seized, authorities said.
Bowles was arrested at Lacey Township Police Department headquarters and taken to the Ocean County Jail. He was later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
The investigation also determined that Bowles allegedly used Kik Messenger to communicate with a 13-year-old girl in Nebraska, authorities said. He is accused of sending the girl a nude image and engaging in sexually explicit conversations with her.
Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry presented the case to the grand jury.
The charges are accusations. Bowles is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
