Derby resident arrested for attempted luring of child and possession of child abuse material

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Jason Benn, 35, of Derby, Vermont, was charged today with one felony count of luring a child and one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material. Mr. Benn allegedly had sexually explicit conversations with a 13-year-old child. The child reported the conversations to a third party, who then reported them to law enforcement. VT-ICAC also received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding a suspect who uploaded a file containing child sexual abuse material to Snapchat. Based on the criminal investigation into that tip, Mr. Benn was identified as the suspect.

Mr. Benn pleaded not guilty today at arraignment in the Vermont Criminal Court in Orleans. The court, presided over by Judge Justin Jiron, ordered conditions of release limiting Mr. Benn’s contact with minors and his access to the internet.

VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation via the Internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse material. VT-ICAC also provides forensic investigation services, technical assistance, training for law enforcement, and public education and outreach.

Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation’s centralized reporting system for online child exploitation. Anyone can report suspected online solicitation of children for sex acts, child sexual abuse, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene material sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images online. To file a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.

Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you don’t have to do it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and finding mental health professionals. For more information, visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.

The Public Prosecution Service emphasizes that persons accused of a crime are legally presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: 8.13.2024. MONTPELIER, Vt. – The Attorney General’s Office

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