BOULDER, Colo. — Authorities arrested a 20-year-old Boulder man at a Connecticut Naval base last month on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child relating to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.
Justin Lawrence Ely was arrested on May 31 by officers with the Groton, Connecticut Police Department as he was entering the Naval base at which he was stationed, the sheriff’s office stated in a news release.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation began after the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Authorities identified Ely as the suspect and learned he had left the Boulder County area to attend training at a Naval base in Connecticut, according to the news release.
The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), as well as Homeland Security investigators, contacted Ely on base and seized his cell phone under a search warrant.
After an examination of the device, authorities said they found evidence of both possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), the news release stated.
Ely was later released after his May 31 arrest in Connecticut. He turned himself into Boulder authorities on Saturday, where he was booked on five counts of CSAM distribution and possession.
The suspect was released from the Boulder County Jail on a $15,000 bond.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.
