Arrests.
A Richland Township man has been charged with 10 felonies related to the possession and procurement of child sexual abuse materials through an Xbox account.
Jason Sheldron, 38, of South West End Boulevard, was charged Monday with five counts each of possessing photos or films of children under 18 involved in sexual acts and criminal use of a communication device, according to charging documents.
Authorities allege Sheldron used a Microsoft Xbox gaming console to access the internet and obtain CSAM on five separate occasions between June 11, 2023 and June 28, 2024.
On Sept. 18, 2024, Richland Township detectives investigated five Cypertips submitted to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children linked to a specific IP address, which occurred over a year span, police said in the affidavit.
Each tip was linked to different singular still images of prepubescent females engaged in sexual activity, police said.
A subpoena on Comcast overturned the IP address as belonging to a woman on South West End Boulevard, and an investigation found that Sheldron also resides at the property, police said.
On Dec. 9, 2024, a search warrant was served at Sheldron’s home, police said. During an interview, he admitted to accessing CSAM numerous times by using his Xbox to go on the internet, where he would search on the search engine DuckDuckGo, police said. Sheldron allegedly often used a form titled “all cams” to locate the CSAM, per the affidavit, doing so as recent as Dec. 7.
Sheldron is free on $150,000 unsecured bail, set by Magisterial District Judge Lisa J. Gaier at arraignment Monday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 12:30 p.m. before Gaier.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
