SOUTH OGDEN, Utah, March 20, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A South Ogden man has been booked on suspicion of 25 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Cameron Parker Smith, 22, was arrested last week after an investigation by agencies including the Department of Homeland Security. Smith’s bail was set at $250,000.
The investigation began last summer after images of child pornography were posted on a social media app, says a probable cause statement filed by an officer of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
“The popular social media application determined that the unidentified user involved lived in the state of Utah,” the statement says. “Notification was then made to the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations for further investigative follow-up. It was determined, through federal legal process, that the suspected Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the reported online user resolved to the address of (a street address in) South Ogden.”
A federal warrant was requested and granted earlier this month, the statement says. The residence was searched, as were the electronic devices of Smith, a resident at the address.
“Cameron Smith waived his Miranda Rights and confessed to possessing and distributing child pornography via the Internet using the popular media application that originally reported the illicit use.
“A forensic examination of Cameron Smith’s cellular telephone revealed evidence of over one hundred digital videos depicting child pornography.”
Smith’s next court appearance has been set for Wednesday.
