Former Editor of The Recount Faces Charges of Possessing and Distributing Child Porn
The former editor-in-chief of left-wing political site The Recount has been charged with possessing and distributing child pornography in what Berkshire, MA prosecutor Marianne Shelvey called “one of the most egregious cases” she had ever seen.
Forty-four year old Slade Sohmer pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts each of possessing and distributing child pornography, as first reported by The Berkshire Eagle. During his appearance at Southern Berkshire District Court, Sohmer was ordered to keep away from minors and stay off the internet. He was released on $100,000 bail.
According to the 26-page affidavit, the investigation began after a Snapchat message alerted the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children hotline. Someone had used the app to send “a video of a boy who appeared to be 11 or 12 performing a sexual act,” The Boston Globe reported. In the affidavit, authorities said the IP address connected to the Snapchat post led to Sohmer’s home internet account.
Shelvey told The Wrap Tuesday that Sohmer’s collection of 1,300 images involved children “as young as 3 or 4 years old.”
“In addition to the imagery, authorities obtained text chats, also allegedly from Sohmer, sharing how to kidnap and rape a child. Shelvey said the disturbing chats added ‘a level of extreme cruelty’ to the case,” The Wrap reported.
Sohmer parted ways with The Recount in October at about the same time as the district attorney began investigating the child porn allegations.
In a statement to The Berkshire Eagle, Sohmer’s former employer said, “Slade 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.”
More charges may be filed against Sohmer now that prosecutors believe he also produced child pornography.
“We went from just dissemination of child pornography to production of child pornography,” Shelvey told Judge Danielle Williams in court on Monday, reported The New York Post.
Neither Sohmer, nor his attorney, have commented despite requests from various media outlets.
