July 24th, 2024 by WCBC Radio

Troopers this morning arrested a man after a Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation developed evidence of distribution of child pornography. The suspect is identified as Jonathon M. Schultheis, 27, of Rising Sun, Maryland. Schultheis is charged with five counts of distribution of child pornography. Schultheis was transported to the Cecil County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.

Beginning in March 2024, the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force initiated an investigation into the distribution of child pornography online. This morning, the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations served a search warrant at the identified residence of the suspect. Schultheis was arrested at the scene.

The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit coordinates the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This is a combined law enforcement effort involving police departments across Maryland that is made possible in part due to grant funds provided by the Governor’s Office for Crime Prevention and Policy and by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Task force investigators focus on identifying those involved in child pornography via the Internet and other related crimes that victimize children.