A Longmont man faces multiple charges, including the sexual exploitation of a child, after local law enforcement officials, acting on tips from the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, arrested him this past weekend. Brandon Scott COX, 29, was booked into Boulder County Jail on six counts that involve the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. According to Boulder County Sheriff's Office, COX has been held without bond until a judicial officer can review the case.
The investigation into COX's activities began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children relayed information regarding the distribution of illicit material to the Colorado ICAC Task Force. The ensuing investigation, which was to eventually result in COX's arrest, utilized a series of court orders on various electronic service providers. This strategic approach allowed the authorities to gather enough probable cause to execute a search warrant at COX's residence in March of this year, where they discovered additional damning evidence against him.
The task force benefiting from this coordinated effort includes members from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. These entities form part of the digital forensics unit that specializes in high-technology crimes and serves not just to analyze evidence but to provide the crucial expertise often needed in translating the digital trails left by such criminal acts.
Among the charges, COX faces are two counts of sexual exploitation of a child for distributing sexually exploitative material and four other counts related to the possession of videos depicting child sexual abuse, a harsh reality that law enforcement officials are committed to eradicate vigorously. This explicit statement of charges underscores the severity of COX's alleged actions and clearly articulates a community's refusal to stand by such contemptible violations of innocence.
Several agencies had hands on deck to support this investigation including the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, the Longmont Department of Public Safety, the digital forensics experts at Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Longmont SWAT, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, and Boulder Police Department.
The ICAC Task Force, of which Colorado ICAC is a member, represents a nationwide network of law enforcement professionals dedicated to tackling online crimes against children, which too often manifest in the darkest corners of the internet and bring to light the necessity of such collaborative efforts to protect the vulnerable.
