Waterbury man accused of possessing child sex abuse materials
February 9, 2024 | By Eric Blaisdell | Times Argus staff writerBARRE — A Waterbury man is accused of possessing child sex abuse materials.
Christopher Camp, 32, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Washington County criminal court in Barre to six felony counts of possession of child sex abuse materials and a misdemeanor count of possession of child sex abuse materials.
If convicted, Camp faces a maximum sentence of 32 years in prison. He was released on conditions.
Detective Sarah Superneau, of the Vermont Attorney General’s office, said in her affidavit she was made aware in November of an investigation involving sexual exploitation of children. Superneau said the case was initially investigated by Vermont State Police.
She said a witness reported Camp had been communicating on social media with someone he believed was a 9-year-old girl. Superneau said investigators were told Camp had sent this person photos of his genitals and asked for similar photos back.
Superneau said Camp was confronted about these communications while at a store in Waterbury on Nov. 9. She said the witness observed the confrontation, where Camp admitted he had child sex abuse materials on his cellphone. She said the phone was taken by witnesses and held until police arrived.
Superneau said Camp was interviewed by a trooper and reported he had been using messenger apps to communicate with underage girls. She said Camp reported he had been communicating with two 9-year-old girls and four or five girls between the ages of 12 and 15. Camp reported the conversations were not initially sexual but became sexual, according to court records.
Police said Camp reported he had gone back into old habits by communicating with the girls to “get my rocks off,” and admitted he was attracted to girls between the ages of 12 and 16. Camp was sent nude photos of one girl who appeared younger than a teenager, according to court records, and admitted he had used gift cards to buy more child sex abuse materials from a male offering to sell such materials.
Superneau said investigators then obtained a search warrant for Camp’s phone. She said police found multiple images of nude girls, some being sexually assaulted by adult men. She said the phone also contained conversations Camp had with others engaging in sharing child sex abuse materials.
Superneau said she interviewed Camp again on Feb. 1. She said he confirmed two of the images found on his phone were of a girl he believed was 9 years old. The detective said Camp reported he met this girl on a forum on the messenger app Kik, where she said she was willing to chat, send photos and “maybe something more.”
She said Camp reported he kept the photos of the girl in his “back pocket” when he “needed to feel something.”
Superneau noted Camp was convicted of felony attempted child luring in 2019. He was placed on probation as part of that sentence and is now facing a violation of probation, which he has denied.
In that case, police said Camp had been exchanging nude photos with a 13-year-old girl in Virginia. He also used Kik for those conversations, according to court records.
This story was originally published in the Times Argus.