10,000 Child Porn Photos Found On Fanwood Man's Computer: Police

FANWOOD, NJ — A former Fanwood man was charged after police say he had more than 10,000 digital images of child sexual abuse material on his computer, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced Monday.

Joseph Poutre, 55, of Middletown, is charged with a single count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

A tip sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children spurred an investigation, spearheaded by Detective Craig Famoso, into Poutre's activities.

Famoso found an IP address being used by Poutre, who was living on the 2000 block of Princeton Avenue in Fanwood at the time.

Police then took Poutre's computer and used specialized software to find and get the more than 10,000 digital images of child pornography, which had previously been deleted, said Ruotolo.

Poutre turned himself in and was formally charged last week, after which he was ordered to appear in Union County Superior Court for a first appearance scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 7.

Poutre faces 5 to 10 years in state prison on the second-degree charge.

The Prosecutor’s Office urges any Union County citizens who suspect incidents of possession or distribution of child sexual abuse material, or similar crimes, to report them to their local police department. Additionally, any suspected child sexual exploitation, online or otherwise, can also be reported via the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline (via cybertipline.com or 1-800-843-5678).

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