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Moore child porn case leads to rescue of abused toddler in Canada

An international investigation started in Moore County led to the arrest of a person in Canada accused of sexually exploiting a child, authorities said.

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CARTHAGE, N.C. — An international investigation started in Moore County led to the arrest of a person in Canada accused of sexually exploiting a 1-year-old, authorities said.

The Moore County Sheriff's Office received a tip last fall from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about possible child pornography in Aberdeen, and the investigation led to the Oct. 17 arrest of Jacob Emery Monroe Johnson.

Deputies then analyzed Johnson's computer files and found a computer chat that concerned them.

"When we were completing the forensic process," Sgt. Eric Galloway said, "we stumbled upon some pretty alarming information. It involved a chat and, as we suspected, the active abuse of a 1-year-old child."

Galloway said the chat included videos and explicit images of a young girl. A father himself, he worked steadily for two weeks to unearth as much evidence as he could.

"When I first discovered the chat, there was certain information that needed to be decoded. I had to verify what I was seeing," he said.

The Moore County Sheriff's Office then worked with the Department of Homeland Security and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to get in touch with Canadian authorities.

"We submitted a series of court orders and hoped for a relatively quick return," Galloway said. "Within a couple of days, we got an answer, but it was a long couple of days."

An IP address used in the chat traced to someone in Ontario, and an arrest was made last Thursday. Canadian law prohibits the release of any information about the suspect.

"I was relieved, absolutely relieved," Galloway said. "I'd been waiting to hear about this kid."

Moore County Sheriff Neil Godfrey credited Galloway's thorough work for the toddler's rescue.

"The persistence on his part resulted in saving the life of this young girl," Godfrey said. "He could have stopped after the original arrest (in Aberdeen), but he continued to work on the suspect's computer."

Galloway said any investigator would have done the same.

"Any officer would do this, and any human being would do this," he said.

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