Published: October 09, 2008 10:23 pm         

Man facing child porn charges after Internet check

A Raleigh County man was jailed after State Police say Internet undercover operations led to authorities finding 10 child pornography videos in his home.

Jeffrey Wayne Drozdowski, 36, of White Oak, is charged with 10 counts of possession of material portraying a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to Cpl. D.C. Eldridge. Drozdowski was arrested Thursday and was being held at Southern Regional Jail on $100,000 bond.

Drozdowski’s arrest was the result of an ongoing proactive investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, Eldridge said. Eldridge explained ICAC operates nationally, and State Police manage its operations in West Virginia. ICAC regularly conducts undercover operations in its work to stop online exploitation of children.

The charges against Drozdowski stemmed from one of those undercover operations, Eldridge said. The operation led to a search warrant being executed at his home Sept. 16, and police seized several computers, disks and related items. Investigators found 10 videos featuring both boys and girls, believed to be between 4 and 13 years old, officials said. Police suspect Drozdowski got this material from the Internet.

The children are not believed to be from the immediate area, Eldridge said, but the material has been sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Eldridge said child pornography crimes happen more often in West Virginia than most people would believe, and they are far more serious than some would ever want to realize.

“Potentially, at any given time, there are hundreds of persons engaged in this distribution,” he said. “Some people believe child pornography is a naked picture of a child. Fifteen or 20 years ago, this may have been the case. But over time, this has become far more graphic and violent. Sometimes, it shows the graphic rape or molestation of a child — some of them being infants. There has been a demand for the production of materials showing the rape and molestation of children.

“There are heartbreaking stories behind these videos. You may not know the victims, but to hear their stories and their impact ... It’s heartwrenching to listen to them.”

Eldridge strongly encouraged the public to report any information concerning the online exploitation of children to State Police by calling 304-256-6700 or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at www.cybertipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. Those submitting information can remain anonymous.

— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com