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Montpelier Resident Arrested for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

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October 11, 2023

The Attorney General’s Office announced that Grace Gamble (charged as Peter Gamble), 27, of Montpelier, Vermont, was arraigned earlier this week on five felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges brought against the defendant are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of residential and online data search warrants, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Montpelier Police Department, Burlington Police Department, Bennington Police Department, and Manchester Police Department.

The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual was suspected to possess images of child sexual abuse material on a Synchronoss Technologies/Verizon Cloud account. Based on the criminal investigation of that tip, the defendant was identified as the source and owner of the account that contained the child sexual abuse materials.

The defendant pleaded not guilty at the arraignment on October 9, 2023, in Vermont Superior Court, Washington Unit Criminal Division. The Court, Judge John Pacht presiding, ordered conditions of release which restrict the defendant’s access to minors and internet content.

VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. VT-ICAC also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach.

Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation’s centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Anyone can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet. To make a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.

Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources or call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.

The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

 

CONTACT:    Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171