A Springfield Township firefighter who lives in Maumee faces a federal child pornography charge after federal agents raided his home pursuant to conversations he had online with an undercover FBI investigator.
Jeremy Dean Chesser, 41, of the 600 block of Midfield Drive, is charged with receipt and distribution of child pornography. He was arrested during the search early Wednesday morning and detained following an initial appearance in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Darrell Clay.
According to the criminal complaint, an FBI “online certified employee” in Connecticut began chatting with Mr. Chesser using the Kik messaging app starting Aug. 7. Mr. Chesser identified himself as “Jay” from Michigan and said he had engaged in sexual activities with children as young as 2 years old, the court documents say.
He later described in graphic detail his sexual contact with children, provided pornographic images of several teen-aged girls, said he had solicited nude or pornographic images online from several others, and inquired about the availability of minor children from the FBI source, the complaint states.
Investigators subpoenaed Kik and then AT&T, to which Mr. Chesser’s internet address belonged, to identify him and his location. The FBI obtained a search warrant Tuesday and conducted its raid shortly after midnight.
During his arrest, the FBI said, Mr. Chesser admitted to having around 1,000 pornographic images on his phone, to having created pornographic images, and to having viewed such material for more than a decade.
A computer forensic examiner subsequently observed “hundreds, if not 1,000 images of what appeared to child pornography depicting sexually explicit conduct of minors,” the complaint said.
Barry Cousino, the Springfield Township fire chief, said Mr. Chesser was on unpaid leave pending an internal investigation.
“More than likely, it’s going to move along pretty quickly,” Chief Cousino said.
Mr. Chesser was being held in the Lucas County jail without bail Thursday morning.
First Published August 31, 2023, 2:35 p.m.
