Former Nashua Firefighter Had Child Sex Abuse Images Videos Of 2 Missing Girls: Affidavit

NASHUA, NH — A multi-week investigation into two cyber tips, which led to the arrest of a former Nashua firefighter on child pornography charges, also revealed the discovery of two girls in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database.

In mid-March, a detective with Derry police, who was working as part of a New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation, received two cyber tips from Verizon about two child sexual abuse images that were uploaded to the company’s cloud service. The detective confirmed the photos were child pornography involving a woman and a girl in one and a woman and a boy in another.

A report stated the detective requested a search warrant for the phone number, a Samsung Galaxy S22 cell phone, and found it was owned by a woman on Wright Drive in New Boston.

“The contact name for this number was listed as Pat Reardon,” an affidavit said.

On April 3, the detective received “approximately 199 child sexual abuse material files” from Verizon as well as other information connecting the cell phone to Reardon, an affidavit said. Two days later, the detective matched Reardon’s NH DMV photo to additional photos and identification on the phone, the report said.

The detective requested a search warrant for Reardon and his home on April 14, which was approved. Five days later, members of the task force “ran surveillance” on Reardon at the Nashua Fire Department, the detective wrote, confirming his pickup truck, which was registered to a plumbing and heating business he owned. On April 18, the report said another search warrant was requested on Reardon’s pickup truck.

Around 8 a.m. on April 19, Reardon was stopped on Broad Street in Hollis near the intersection with Flint Pond Drive with the assistance of Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department employees. During the stop, Reardon was questioned and accused of confirming his cell phone number, that no one else used it, and how long he had been interested or curious about child pornography. He replied, “A year, maybe,” the affidavit said. Reardon said he received the photos while on Kik, an online app, and admitted to sometimes saving the files in Calculator, a phone app, the affidavit said. Reardon was accused of admitting he was at the stationhouse and home when accessing and saving the files, the report said.

Another detective seized his cell phone and, during extraction, found 80 images and two videos, including duplicates and thumbnails, the affidavit said.

On April 24, the reporting detective manually went through Calculator and found six pictures and 101 videos, including duplicates and others that could be sexual abuse image materials, but the ages were “indeterminate,” the affidavit said.

The detective chose 14 videos to file charges against Reardon for possession at his home on April 3 and his cell phone on April 19 on Broad Street.

According to the affidavit, an 8- to 10-year-old girl and a girl who was approximately 12 were identified as children listed in the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children database.

The girls in the videos were between the ages of 2- to 3-years-old and 15, the detective estimated.

Reardon was arrested by Derry police on 15 charges on April 28.

According to superior court documents, Reardon now only faces 12 charges — one felony child sexual abuse image; buy, etc.-subsequent and five child sexual abuse image; buy, etc. felony charges in New Boston and six child sexual abuse image; buy, etc. felony charges in Hollis. Arraignments on June 9 and June 22 were canceled. A disposition hearing was held on June 28 in the Hollis case. Reardon is due back in Hillsborough County Superior Court South on Aug. 30 for a dispositional conference.

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