13 Child Porn Charges Filed Against Bel Air Man: Police

BEL AIR, MD — Police said a Bel Air man was charged with 13 counts of child pornography after investigators searched his home Tuesday in Harford County. The arrest was the product of an online investigation that began in June, according to authorities.

Christian Shoap, 22, of Bel Air, is charged with four counts of distribution of child pornography and nine counts of possession of child pornography, police reported.

Investigators showed up at his home in Bel Air with a warrant at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20. A preliminary forensic review of his devices revealed multiple child pornography files, police said, and he was arrested.

Troopers with the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force honed in on Shoap after obtaining child pornography files that were being shared online in June, officials reported.

Their investigation led them to identify Shoap and his residence in Harford County as suspects, police said.

Shoap was taken to the Bel Air barrack for processing.

The Department of Homeland Security assisted in the case, police reported, noting that grants from the governor's office and the federal justice department fund investigations into child pornography and other crimes that victimize children.