Editor-in-chief of The Recount Slade Sohmer, who held his post until last month, has been charged with the possession and distribution of child pornography in Massachusetts. Sohmer was released on $100,000 bail on Monday.
The News Movement, which owns The Recount, told the New York Post that Sohmer “is no longer editor-in-chief” of The Recount “following a company restructure exercise in early October to focus on our editorial and commercial plans.”
Sohmer allegedly had “hundreds of child pornography images and videos” when he was arrested on October 18 Otis, Mass on Friday. He was additionally alleged by prosecutors to have himself filmed a video in which he was instructing a minor to perform sexual acts. That child, per local reports, has been identified.
The arrest came weeks after authorities had seized his electronics via a search warrant. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children tipped off authorities last year. They reached out to the Massachusetts State Policy Cyber Crime Unit about a suspicious video on Snapchat. That video, per local reports, showed a minor boy masturbating. The IP address was allegedly traced to Sohmer.
If convicted, Sohmer faces 10 years in prison for dissemination of child exploitation images and 5 years for possession of those images.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.