New York State Police arrested a man at his home in Grahamsville in Sullivan County on May 8 and accused him of child sexual exploitation.
Troopers said the investigation was conducted by their Troop F Computer Crimes Unit, in collaboration with the Troop F Child Abuse Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, troopers from the state police barracks in Liberty and a state police electronic detection K9 team.
The investigation began in October 2025, after state police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
As a result of the investigation, a warrant was executed at the home of the suspect, who was identified as Shawn W. Edwards, 32, of Grahamsville. He was arrested without incident and transported to the state police barracks in Liberty.
Edwards was charged with four counts of promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child less than 17 years of age, and one count each of second-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor and second-degree falsely reporting an incident, all felonies.
State police said he allegedly falsely reported a fire, explosion or hazardous substance incident to officials.
Edwards was arraigned at the Town of Liberty Court and sent to the Sullivan County jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, $20,000 bond or $40,000 partially secured bond.
He is scheduled to appear in the Town of Neversink Court on May 18.
The name of Edwards’ attorney was not immediately available.
State police said the investigation is continuing.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Sullivan County man charged with online child sexual exploitation
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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