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Monday, December 23, 2024

Maryville Man Indicted On Child Porn Charges

MARYVILLE – A Madison County grand jury has indicted a Maryville resident on multiple child pornography charges after he requested and shared the disturbing material in online conversations.

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Thomas J. Angelo, 60, of Maryville, was charged with two counts of child pornography, one a Class X felony and the other a Class 2 felony.

Angelo allegedly disseminated child pornography via the Kik application on July 5, 2024. Court documents describe the video file as depicting a female who was “clearly under the age of 13.”

The Maryville Police Department received a cybertip through the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, according to a petition to deny Angelo’s pretrial release. Angelo reportedly engaged in online conversations with multiple individuals discussing, requesting, and sharing child pornography.

“Following execution of search warrants to Kik, Verizon, and to the defendant’s residence, evidence was discovered that he was engaging in conversations with various individuals regarding child pornography,” the petition states.

“In these conversations, he would request child pornography, specifically ‘young porn’ or ‘pics of young.’ He would also send out child pornography to other Kik users. During these conversations, the defendant spoke very graphically about sex acts with children. The images and videos received and sent by the defendant were of prepubescent children engaged in sex acts.”

A Detention Order was later filed granting the state’s petition to keep Angelo in custody. Among the reasons given for denying his release were the ease with which he could re-offend, driving a “demand for such content,” as well as his ability to conceal his actions from friends and family.

“Defendant’s consumption, sharing and possession of child pornography is not a victimless crime,” the Detention Order states. “The defendant’s actions create a demand for such content, and each subsequent viewing further victimizes the children involved.

“The defendant’s acts have gone unnoticed by his spouse, friends, and other family members, and they cannot be relied upon to monitor his activities moving forward … He has shown that he can conceal his acts and only requires an internet connection and any device to commit additional offenses.”

The Maryville Police Department presented the case against Angelo, who currently remains in custody.

A formal indictment was returned by a Madison County grand jury on Dec. 19, 2024 and signed by Circuit Judge Kyle Napp. Angelo’s next court hearing has been set for Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 at 9 a.m.

The issuance of charges is based solely upon probable cause and is not an indication of guilt. All subjects charged with criminal offenses are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

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