Frederick man accused of possessing more than 2,000 child porn images

Mary Grace Keller, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

Jul. 30—Police arrested a Frederick man Thursday for allegedly possessing more than 2,000 files of child pornography.

Shawn S. Behal, 24, is charged with 10 counts of possessing child porn, online court records show. At a bail review hearing Friday afternoon, Judge William Simmons permitted him to be released on a $50,000 unsecured personal bond to home detention, and prohibited him from using electronic devices. Bail was posted Friday.

Members of the Frederick County Cyber Crimes Task Force Thursday executed a search warrant in the 5200 block of Ivywood Drive South, Frederick County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Friday. During the search, Behal reportedly admitted to having seven email addresses associated with uploading, downloading and possessing child porn from various websites, and said he had child porn saved on hard drives in his bedroom, police said.

Some of the images police gathered depicted children who appeared as young as 3 years old, the release said.

Behal's attorney, Joseph Pappafotis, said in a phone interview he is presumed innocent. A stand-in attorney for Pappafotis in court argued Behal is not a flight risk, adding he lives with family and is enrolled in school full-time online. Assistant State's Attorney Brooke Gomulka sought for Behal to be held without bail.

A Frederick County Sheriff's Office detective with the task force investigated 71 cyber tips between Jan. 12 and July 27 related to emails associated with Behal, the release states. Police classified more than 2,130 images as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

"These investigations are some of the most important work being done in Frederick County in the fight against child exploitation. The members of the Frederick County Cyber Crimes Task Force work tirelessly to identify, charge, and prosecute these offenders," Lt. Andy Crone, FCSO Criminal Investigations Section commander, said in the release. "The local and federal partnerships have made this task force extremely successful in their initiatives, further protecting our community."

To report additional information about this case, contact the FCSO at 301-600-1046 and reference case No. 21-075216.

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