The Eldridge Police Department, working in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Child Exploitation Task Force based in Kansas City, Missouri, have announced the arrest of a 46-year-old Missouri man after an undercover investigation into online child exploitation, according to a news release.
The arrest was on Thursday, June 18, after an investigator with the Eldridge Police Department’s Special Investigations/Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit conducted a controlled online operation involving the suspect. During the investigation, the suspect, identified as Christopher Cassidy of Oak Grove, Missouri, allegedly used the internet to attempt to engage in illegal contact with an individual he believed to be a minor.
Cassidy has been charged in federal court with:
- Two counts of attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- One count of attempted production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- One count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
“This arrest underscores our commitment to protecting children from online predators,” said Chief Andrew Lellig. “We will continue to use every available resource to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who seek to harm our most vulnerable.”…