Howell Man Had Thousands Of Child Porn Images: Prosecutor

HOWELL, NJ — A Howell Township man has been charged with possessing child pornography after authorities acting on a tip found thousands of images of child porn on his electronics, the Monmouth County prosecutor's office announced Tuesday.

William Whesper, 54, of Howell, was arrested Feb. 19 and charged with one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child for possession of child pornography, Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said.

Authorities started investigating after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a person in Howell viewing child pornography. The investigation led to Whesper and an initial review of Whesper’s electronics revealed that he possessed thousands of images, Gramiccioni said. Howell police and the prosecutor's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force

Whesper is being held in the Monmouth County Jail pending a detention hearing that is scheduled for Friday before Superior Court Judge Marc C. Lemieux in Freehold.

Anyone with information is asked to call Howell Police Detective Anthony Romano at 732-938-4575, ext. 2879.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Howell Patch on Facebook.