A 40-year-old Clifton Park man was arrested Tuesday evening after investigators say he sent naked photos of himself through a social media platform to someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy. Jonathan McCann now faces a charge of attempted first-degree dissemination of indecent material to minors following an investigation that drew in a federal task force dedicated to child exploitation cases.
According to the WRGB, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office says McCann used a social media platform to send the images to a person he believed was a teenage boy. Investigators determined the alleged incident took place on or about May 19 at a home on Huntridge Drive in Clifton Park, the station reported.
The case resurfaced publicly the previous week after deputies received a request to assist another agency at around 9:12 a.m. Tuesday regarding the Huntridge Drive incident, per the same account. Following the investigation, deputies arrested McCann later that evening.
Charge and Next Steps in Court
McCann was charged with attempted first-degree dissemination of indecent material to minors, the station reported. He was released on an appearance ticket, with further proceedings scheduled in Clifton Park Town Court. No additional court dates, pleas, or case updates have been reported.
The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office said it received assistance from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force during the investigation, according to the report. Under New York law, Section 235.20 defines a minor as a person less than 17 years old for the purposes of the state’s dissemination statutes, according to the New York State Senate. A related statute, Section 235.22, classifies first-degree dissemination of indecent material to minors as a class D felony, per the New York State Senate.
A Second Clifton Park Case Involving the Same Agencies
This is not the only Clifton Park case in which the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s task force have worked together. In a separate matter, the sheriff’s office and members of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force executed a search warrant at a home on Carriage Road in Clifton Park on Feb. 16, the station reported, identifying 37-year-old Jonathon Bratton as the person they say was responsible for distributing videos involving children and an adult male.
Bratton was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child, a class D felony, and was arraigned in Town of Clifton Park Court and released on his own recognizance, the outlet noted. That investigation was described as continuing, with more charges possible.
