Col. Darnell S. Weaver, Rhode Island State Police Superintendent and Director of the Department of Public Safety, announces that on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, members of the Rhode Island State Police/Group Internet Crimes Against Children Working Group arrested Jeffrey Hill, 46, of Wakefield, Rhode Island for possession of prohibited child pornography and child erotica. Hill was identified as the manager of the Youth Suicide Prevention Project at the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Members of the ICAC Working Group recently launched an investigation into an individual uploading child pornography to an email server. Hill’s home internet connection was identified as allegedly linked to child pornography downloads. Earlier in the day, members of the ICAC task force executed a court-authorized search warrant and arrest warrant at the Wakefield residence and arrested Hill. Hill had previously been identified as the owner and user of the email under investigation and a warrant for his arrest had been signed by a judge charging him with possession of child pornography and erotica forbidden childish.

Hill was arraigned in Fourth Division District Court before Associate Judge Caruolo and held on $5,000 bail, which he later posted. Mr Hill was given additional special bail conditions, including a ban on unsupervised contact with minors and restricted internet access.

A person convicted of possession of child pornography can be subject to a fine of up to five thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to five years, or both. A person found guilty of Child Erotica Prohibited may be subject to a fine of up to one thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to one year, or both.

The Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force actively engages in investigative efforts to identify subjects involved in activities related to child exploitation. The Rhode Island ICAC Task Force Program is administered by the Rhode Island State Police and supports a nationwide network of multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task forces engaged in investigative, medical and prosecutions and prosecutions related to Internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated children. sexual exploitation. The Rhode Island ICAC Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit as well as detectives from the Warwick Police Department, Cranston Police Department, East Providence Police Department, North Kingstown Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Bristol Police Department, and Special Constables from Homeland Security Investigations and State Postal Inspection Services -United.