A 34-year-old man from Chestnut Hill Cove has been charged with two child pornography felonies. The charges were brought after a teenager reported her online interactions with him to authorities, as stated by Maryland State Police.
According to court records, Kenneth J. Schneider was interrogated and arrested by state troopers following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. Chestnut Hill Cove is located on the north bank of Nabbs Creek, near Curtis Bay.
In June, the parents of the teenager reached out to Homeland Security investigators after she made a suicide attempt, as stated in the charging documents. The agents were informed that their daughter had been in contact with an older individual online and was subjected to sexual extortion, resulting in her hospitalization.
Upon receiving authorization to inspect the teenager’s laptop and phone, law enforcement discovered six explicit photographs that had been sent to an individual referred to as “John,” according to the police.
The girl initially met someone named “John,” who was later identified as Schneider through subpoenas to internet service providers. They connected on a platform called Chatib, which enables users to engage in conversations with strangers from various countries and regions, as stated on its website.
Upon entering Chatib, users are required to provide their age and location. They are then directed to a lobby where they can interact with a large number of individuals, all of whom have their information displayed. There is no verification process, but the minimum age you can choose is 18. According to authorities, the individual identified as “John” is believed to be from Maryland and is 15 years old. The police have not disclosed the teenager’s place of origin.
According to charging documents, the teenager and Schneider began communicating via iMessage and FaceTime. According to court records, a phone number linked to Schneider allegedly requested the teenager to send explicit photos while she was at school.
According to the police, Schneider had a series of exchanges with the teenager over a span of two days, with a total of 49 messages being exchanged. Based on the charging documents, it was reported that the teenager made an attempt to take their own life on June 4.
Authorities have connected Schneider to the case by examining service providers, Google, and law enforcement records, as stated in the charging documents.
According to court records, the police were able to identify Schneider by tracing the phone number used on the teenager’s iPhone. According to a database tracking law enforcement interactions, Schneider contacted the Baltimore Police Department on April 1, 2019. While the call’s incident number is provided, the charging documents do not provide an explanation for why he made the call.
Investigators were able to obtain Schneider’s Gmail account from the database.
Court records indicate that Google received a summons in late June requesting information regarding an email address. Investigators were able to obtain Schneider’s personal information, including their name, phone model, recovery email address, and phone number. These details were found to be a match with the information provided to the police.
Schneider has been charged with serious offenses, including soliciting and distributing child pornography, which are considered felonies. Additionally, they are also accused of displaying obscene material to a minor, which is a misdemeanor.
Following a bail review hearing on Monday, Schneider is currently being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center without bond. According to court records, the public defender’s office has been assigned to his case and he is set to appear in Annapolis District Court on Sept. 4.