A Massachusetts man faces a disturbing charge.
According to police, on Monday, Kingston PD detectives, armed with an arrest warrant, went to Columbus Avenue in Boston’s South End and arrested 41-year-old Joseph Cassio.
Cassio was arrested for the felony crime of posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct. Cassio was then transported back to the Kingston Police Department and Plymouth District Court, where he was ordered to be held on bail.
Cassio allegedly solicited nude images from a 16-year-old adolescent. Furthermore, it is claimed in texts that Cassio participated in additional sexualized talk with the victim and advised her that he would go after youngsters as young as 14.
The case was brought to the attention of authorities after the victim contacted his school resource officer at SLRHS and told him what had happened.
PD stated that “if not for the SRO program and the strong work of our SROs to build relationships, we may never have discovered this crime, and potentially other children would have been victimized.” “We are grateful that the victim in this case had the courage to speak with officers.”
The department credited advanced training.
“Modern crooks use modern technologies to elude capture and destroy evidence. This applies to almost every type of crime. As criminals progress, so must law enforcement. We didn’t know who the offender was. He was using a pseudonym. We were able to collect photos of the defendant’s face and subsequently requested and received a court order to do a facial recognition search. The search was carried out against an available database, and a hit was found, originally identifying Cassio. Additional investigative steps, such as advanced database searches, conversations with partner agencies, and the use of location information obtained from a social media application, confirmed Cassio as the perpetrator. Cassio may not have been recognized and charged if he had not received training, been aware of these processes, and done so in a legally permitted manner.”
The probe took over three months to complete.
The police remarked that this arrest serves as a reminder.
“Unfortunately, we conduct many such investigations. Offenders are not only on the most recent show you’re watching or in a distant city. They are here and can contact your children. This could be as simple as clicking “add friend” on a social media app, followed by a quick train ride to meet up. Be aware, have conversations about safe internet use, and encourage people to contact the authorities if something appears to be wrong.”
Cassio is currently in detention awaiting his next court hearing in August.
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