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A Browns Mills man from Pemberton Township has been arrested for possession and distribution of child pornography, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas announced today.
Tristan M. Cottle, 25, of the first block of North Whites Bogs Road, was charged with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Two of the counts were second degree charges and involve the distribution of child pornography as well as the intent to distribute. The other count is a third degree charge and involves possession of child pornography.
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The investigation began in January 2017 after the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit received intelligence from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children concerning the defendant’s online activities. The investigation revealed that images of child pornography had been posted online by the defendant.
On February 2, a search warrant was executed at Cottle’s residence which yielded cell phones containing images of child pornography
.Cottle was not home at the time of the warrant. On February 8, Cottle was arrested in Mount Holly by members of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit and the New Jersey State Police Digital Technology Investigations Unit.
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The defendant was lodged in the Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing next week in Superior Court.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office High-Tech Crimes Unit, the New Jersey State Police and the Pemberton Township Police Department. The BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit is a member of the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the New Jersey State Police Cyber Terrorism Task Force.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.