SALISBURY, MD - The Maryland State Police have arrested a Wicomico County man on multiple charges in connection to a Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) investigation.
According to charging documents, the investigation began on Monday, June 23, when police received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip reported that messaging app Kik had flagged child pornography uploaded to the internet.
Police say the files reported to them contained 16 instances of the material, of which five were documented for probable cause. NCMEC also provided suspect information, including the Kik username, IP address, and email associated with the account.
Charging documents say investigators then filed records subpoenas to Comcast and Yahoo for the physical address and identity associated with the online information.
Those subpoenas, according to police, identified Zachary Walker, 23, of Salisbury, as a suspect.
On Tuesday, July 1, Maryland State Police conducted a search and seizure at Walker’s home. Authorities say the ensuing investigation confirmed Walker’s phone number and email address matched those associated with the Kik investigation, and he was arrested.
Walker has been charged with five counts of felony child pornography distribution, a charge that carries up to 10 years for a first violation and up to 20 for subsequent violations. He was also charged with five counts of misdemeanor possession of child pornography. Walker is currently being held without bond.