A Longmont man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child sexual exploitation material.
Joseph Robert Alexander, 37, faces two counts of sexual exploitation of a child – possession of a video and two counts of sexual exploitation of a child – possession of a photograph.
He is currently in custody without bond and will appear in court for his counseling hearing later today.
Joseph Robert Alexander (courtesy of the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office)
According to a news release from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began as a result of a peer-to-peer initiative at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab. P2P is a form of file sharing where people using special software can download files and share them with other users around the world on the Internet, the release said.
In May, investigators discovered that a P2P user in the 800 block of Crisman Drive in Longmont shared more than 2,000 files containing suspected child sex exploitation material with two different undercover investigators in Colorado and Arizona, the news release said.
In July, a search warrant was issued and several electronic devices were seized and investigators discovered P2P software and sexually explicit videos and photos of children. According to the press release, the forensic analysis of the seized devices is a lengthy process. Alexander was booked into jail on Saturday.
Assisting agencies included the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, the Longmont Department of Public Safety, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, the Boulder Police Department and the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
