BALTIMORE, Md. – A federal child sexual exploitation and child pornography case against a Dorchester County man is moving closer to trial as prosecutors and defense attorneys continue to dispute what evidence can be presented to a jury.
According to court documents obtained by WBOC, James Edward Howeth was indicted in October 2024 on one count of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of possession of child pornography. The case stems from an investigation that began with a 2023 cybertip involving apparent child sexual abuse material uploaded through a Verizon cloud storage service.
Federal prosecutors allege Howeth induced, enticed, or coerced a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct in April of 2022 for the purpose of producing images. Prosecutors say material connected to the case was later found on two Samsung cell phones.
Court documents show the cybertip initially identified Howeth’s girlfriend, but investigators later connected an email account reportedly associated with the images to him instead.
Maryland State Police searched Howeth's East New Market home on March 14, 2024, according to court documents. Investigators examined electronic devices found inside the home and later obtained an additional warrant allowing forensic searches of several devices, including two cell phones belonging to Howeth.
According to a federal judge's summary of the investigation, Howeth was interviewed by police while the search was underway. The court said Howeth acknowledged making "poor choices," said it had been months since he had searched for child pornography, and told investigators he had previously shared such material with his girlfriend, court records read.
According to court documents, Howeth's attorneys later sought to suppress both evidence seized from the home and statements he made to investigators.
The defense argued the search warrant did not establish a sufficient connection between the alleged criminal activity and Howeth's residence. Attorneys also argued investigators failed to include potentially significant information about the girlfriend in the warrant application, including that she lived separately from Howeth.
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander rejected those arguments in April.
Hollander found the warrant sufficiently connected Howeth to the investigation through his relationship with his girlfriend and the email account associated with the alleged material. The judge also found the defense had not shown investigators intentionally or recklessly omitted information that would have changed the probable cause determination.
The judge separately denied Howeth's effort to suppress statements made during the March 2024 interview. Hollander found Howeth had been advised of his Miranda rights, signed a waiver, and was not threatened or coerced by investigators.
Additional charges added
Court records show the scope of the case expanded in April 2026.
Prosecutors filed a second superseding indictment on April 15, less than a month before the case had been scheduled to go to trial.
The new indictment added several charges, including distribution of child pornography, another child sexual exploitation charge, and another possession of child pornography charge.
During subsequent court proceedings, prosecutors said the evidence underlying the new charges had previously been provided to the defense. According to the judge’s account, prosecutors told the court that the mother of an alleged victim later viewed certain images and identified her child, prompting the additional charges.
The new charges resulted in the trial being postponed from May 11 to Sept. 15, 2026.
An Aug. 4 government filing says the next hearing in the case was scheduled for Aug. 5. Records show Howeth's attorneys sought to exclude certain "irrelevant" evidence during Wednesday's hearing, while the government argued the evidence collected was intrinsic to the case.
