KENNETT SQUARE, PA — James Bell IV, a 26-year-old from Kennett Township, Pennsylvania, was arrested on Monday, November 7th for possession of child pornography. The arrest was made after a months-long investigation by the Kennett Square Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division.
Authorities state that the investigation began in December 2021, after the Chester County Detectives received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about suspected child pornography being shared on social media platforms Tumblr, Dropbox, and Snapchat. NCMEC’s CyberTips program flagged the account associated with Bell’s IP address as being located in Chadds Ford, Kennett Township.
A search warrant was obtained and executed at Bell’s residence, which resulted in the seizure of electronic devices. Further searches of those devices uncovered evidence of child pornography allegedly belonging to Bell. He was taken into custody and is currently being held at the Chester County Prison on $250,000 bail.
Sgt. Christopher Gravina, a Chester County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force member, investigated the incident. Kennett Square Police Department was assisted by the Chester County ICAC Task Force members, the Chester County Detectives, and the Kennett Township Police Department.
If you have any information about this case or any other child pornography cases, contact the Kennett Square Police Department at 610-444-0501.
Information is subject to change at any time as additional details may emerge. Information, a criminal complaint, or an arrest is not a declaration of guilt. A suspect, arrestee, or defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Call Childline at 1-800-932-0313 if you suspect a child is being abused. Learn to recognize, react to, and report child sexual abuse by taking a free virtual Stewarts of Children workshop. Contact County Coordinator Elisa Mendoza at emendoza@chesco.org or 610-344-5576 for more information.
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