MARYDEL MAN ARRESTED FOLLOWING A 10 MONTH INVESTIGATION

Caroline County, MD - On August 19, 2024, detectives from the Caroline County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division apprehended a Marydel man after an in-depth investigation conducted by the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The man was implicated in the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

John Lawrence Sullivan Jr, 19, faces 53 charges related to the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and is currently held in Caroline County Detention Center on a $30,000 bond.

The investigation began back in October 2023 when the Caroline County Sheriff's Office started scrutinizing the circulation of child sexual abuse material via an internet platform based in Marydel, Maryland.

The multi-agency probe, which took almost ten months, culminated in Sullivan Jr. being identified as the suspect. The Caroline County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with the Talbot County Sheriff's Office, Easton Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations, executed a search warrant at Sullivan Jr.'s residence in Marydel.

The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit supervises the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. A joint venture of various police departments across Maryland, the task force is sustained by grant funds from the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services and a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Its primary objective is to identify and handle cases related to child sexual abuse material and other crimes against children online.