ROCKLAND — The Maine State Computer Crimes Unit seized two laptop computers and 12 cellphones from a Rockland residence as part of a child pornography investigation that began in September.

Charges have not yet been filed from the Dec. 15 search at a home on Acadia Drive in Rockland, according to the court documents filed Dec. 21 in Knox County Unified Court.

Special Agent Jason Bosco, of the Maine State Police, said in the court affidavit that there was probable cause to search the home for evidence of child pornography. Bosco received information from Anne Griffith, an investigative analyst of the Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit, about a complaint that had been submitted to police from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

NCMEC had been alerted by Dropbox, Inc. that they suspected a user of a personal dropbox account was uploading and storing child pornography, according to the court document.

In addition to providing services to families and professionals that relate to the abduction and sexual exploitation of children, NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline and child victim identification programs to assist law enforcement officers and others in identifying and rescuing victims of child exploitation and child pornography. They work with electronic service providers to reduce the dissemination of child pornography images and videos and ESPs will alert NCMEC when they determine this activity is taking place.  

The files provided by NCMEC to police include more than 200 images of children, between the ages five and eight, who are linked to the account. According to Dropbox, Inc., the two internet protocol (IP) addresses were listed as being from Camden. The investigation has identified one of the addresses as a Camden inn where the person residing at the Rockland home was employed, police say in the court affidavit.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.