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New York man facing jail time following North Bay child porn Investigation

Police remind young people and parents to be mindful of who they are talking to online
child porn 2016

The North Bay Police Service along with American authorities worked together in an investigation that led to child porn charges and the conviction of a New York state man. 

In February of 2018, the North Bay Police Service began an investigation pertaining to an online child luring matter.

The investigation began with a parent monitoring communication their teenager was having on social media platforms Instagram and Snapchat. An individual, who identified themselves as a teenage female, was requesting the young person to exchange sexual images.

The police say the investigation revealed the suspect was also attempting to make contact other teenage boys in the North Bay area. The suspect had used multiple fake usernames and profile pictures to portray himself as a teenage female. During the investigation, police say they maintained an ongoing effort to block the communications of the suspect.

The North Bay Police investigation, which involved interviews and search warrants, identified the suspect, Chad Swartwood of Castle Creek, New York, USA.

With with the assistance of the RCMP National Child Exploitation Crime Centre, information was shared with a Special Agent of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in Syracuse, New York.

In May 2019 United States Law Enforcement in the State of New York arrested 41-year-old Chad Swartwood for attempted sexual exploitation, possession of child pornography and attempted receipt of child pornography.

Swartwood was found in possession of several sexual images and videos that boys had sent him when he posed as a teenage girl.

On June 17th 2020, police say Chad Swartwood pled guilty to the child pornography-related charges in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in Syracuse. He was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

“The need for parents to communicate with their children is always important however the ongoing pandemic enhances that need more than ever. Advances in internet service means people living in almost every community are vulnerable to these predators,” stated Scott Tod, North Bay's Police Chief in a release.  

“Investigations of this type can be complex and lengthy in nature but Police are committed to investigating this type of crime. We need parents need to educate themselves to keep our children safe and keep predators out of our real and virtual communities,” added Scott Buchanan, North Bay Detective Constable in a release. 

The North Bay Police Service is one of 26 municipal police services that work with the OPP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (CSEU) as part of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet. This partnership was made possible by a grant from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.