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LAWRENCE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Tuesday, the Essex County District Attorney's Office issued a statement that the former chief of staff to Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña was arrested on two counts of possession of child pornography.
48-year-old Jhovanny Martes-Rosario plead not guilty during his arraignment in Lawrence District Court, and posted a bond of $1,050 after going through the booking process at the Andover State Police Barracks. A judge ordered the defendant to abide by the requests of the prosecution which were for him to stay off the Internet, away from children except his own son, and to surrender his passport to officials.
According to the Office of Mayor DePeña, Martes-Rosario was fired from his position at Lawrence City Hall after the city received information of his arrest.
The Massachusetts State Police say the Cyber Crime Unit arrested Martes-Rosario after a court-authorized sweep of his home and electronic devices inside. Troopers say they found dozens of images of child pornography on the defendant's iPad.
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The investigation began in December, when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted Massachusetts officials, saying an Internet Protocol address that uploaded images of child pornography were traced back to Martes-Rosario's address.
Martes-Rosario is expected to be back in court again on March 27.
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