Jury convicts Freehold Township man of distributing videos of child sexual abuse

Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
·1 min read

FREEHOLD - A Monmouth County jury convicted a 74-year-old Freehold Township man of child-endangerment charges related to his possession of more than 100 videos depicting children being sexually abused, acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey said.

The jury on Wednesday found James Simmons, of Harding Road, guilty of two child-endangerment charges, one for distributing child sexual abuse material and another for possessing it.

The verdict followed a trial before Superior Court Judge Jill O’Malley.

Simmons, whom authorities identified as a computer scientist and former government contractor, was arrested in July 2017 as part of an investigation known as “Operation Schools Out,’’ which targeted people suspected of possessing or sharing online files of child sexual abuse. A total of 14 Monmouth County men were arrested in the probe, conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and local police.

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During the probe, Simmons was found to be in possession of a thumb drive with more than 100 videos depicting child sexual abuse, as well as peer-to-peer file-sharing programs, Linskey said.

At trial, Simmons testified the materials and files belonged to his son, who had died prior to Simmons’ arrest.

Linskey credited Assistant Prosecutor Stephanie Dugan and those who investigated the case for their efforts in securing the conviction, adding, “It is imperative that we continue to do all that we can to protect our most vulnerable citizens, our children, from being victimized in this way.’’

Simmons faces more than 10 years in prison when he is sentenced by O’Malley on Jan. 13, the acting prosecutor said. He was represented at trial by George B. Somers.

Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Freehold Township NJ man guilty of sharing child sex abuse videos