HAMPSTEAD, MD – Two Carroll County men were arrested and charged early Thursday morning after a Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation developed evidence supporting charges of distribution and possession of child pornography.
The suspects are identified as Matthew Robert Curtis, and Tyler Hayden Curtis, both 23, of Hampstead, Maryland. Matthew Curtis is charged with two counts of distribution of child pornography and seven counts of possession of child pornography. Tyler Curtis is charged with five counts of possession of child pornography. Both men, who are siblings, were arrested at their residence without incident and taken to the Carroll County Detention Center for processing.
In April 2020, the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a CyberTip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children involving the distribution of child pornography online. The investigation led to the identification of the suspects and their residence in Carroll County.
At approximately 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the Maryland State Police, Homeland Security and Investigations and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at the identified residence. A preliminary forensic review of the suspects’ electronic devices revealed multiple child pornography files. Both suspects are registered sex offenders following previous child pornography convictions.
The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit coordinates the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This is a combined law enforcement effort involving police departments across Maryland that is made possible in part due to grant funds provided by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services and by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Task force investigators focus on identifying those involved in child pornography via the Internet and other related crimes that victimize children.
