TOMS RIVER – A 34-year-old Toms River man has been charged with possession of child sexual abuse material following a multi-agency investigation, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced
Jeremey Howell was taken into custody July 24 after detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant at his residence, authorities said. The investigation began when the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a cyber-tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about images being uploaded online, according to Billhimer.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad traced the uploads to a Toms River home and identified Howell as the suspect. A forensic examination of his cellphone uncovered multiple items of child sexual abuse material, Billhimer said.
Howell was arrested at Toms River Township Police Headquarters and lodged in the Ocean County Jail.
Billhimer credited the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, Toms River Township Police Department and Emergency Services Unit, New Jersey State Police ICAC Task Force, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for their work on the case.
