A Zanesville man has been handed an eight-year prison sentence for distributing child sexual abuse materials online, marking the culmination of an investigation rooted in a tip-off from a cyber task force. Brett Roosa, 32, consented to the maximum sentence for a charge of pandering obscenity involving a minor, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office.
The investigation into Roosa's activities began after a cyber tip was received on December 17, 2024, from the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. This followed a Kik messaging app report, which detected Roosa uploading illicit content. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children later corroborated that the materials in question, involving three images and three videos of child sexual abuse, originated from Roosa's residence on August 8, 2024.
With the warrant in hand, Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office officers, including Detective Morton and Deputy Finley, performed a search of Roosa's home the following day. Investigators uncovered many illegal images and videos on a phone during the search. The prosecutor’s office noted their commitment to delivering severe consequences for crimes of this nature, with Ron Welch, the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office, emphasizing the gravity of Roosa's actions. "Uploading child sexual abuse materials harms victims again and again," Welch said in an official statement, highlighting the relentless impact of such crimes.
In a deal with prosecutors, Roosa's admission resulted in the dismissal of additional charges that had been leveled against him. “Plea agreements are rarely perfect, but the outcome of this case prevented numerous young children from having to testify in court about being sexually abused and that is an important factor to everyone that understands these cases," according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office. Welch commented on the plea agreement's significance. Post-release, Roosa will be required to register as a sex offender every 180 days for a period spanning 25 years.
