A Hyannis man has been arrested on child pornography charges following a joint investigation by local and federal authorities. The Barnstable Police Department said in a Facebook post yesterday that 31-year-old James Christie was arrested after a search warrant executed at his residence last month uncovered child pornography images and evidence of communications related to the sexual exploitation of children on his cellphone.
Police said the investigation began after a CyberTip was submitted to the Massachusetts State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and assigned to an officer in the Barnstable Police Investigative Services Division. Christie is charged with possession and dissemination of child pornography.
With assistance from the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force, officers executed the search warrant last month and seized digital devices that allegedly contained and shared illegal material.
Christie was arrested in Plymouth on Tuesday last week and later booked by police. He was arraigned at Barnstable District Court on Wednesday last week. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for February 25. The investigation remains ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office.
