Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Zanesville Man Imprisoned for Possessing Child Sexual Assault Materials
A Zanesville man will be spending time in prison for downloading and sending child sexual assault materials on his phone and computer.
Erik D. Huizer, age 21, of Zanesville, appeared in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court on May 6 for sentencing. Common Pleas Judge Mark C. Fleegle sentenced Huizer to at least two years in prison for his crime of pandering obscenity involving a minor, which is a felony. Huizer will also be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison.
On October 27, 2023, Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, Inc., notified the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child sexual assault material (CSAM) had been uploaded through a user account.
On January 12, 2024, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) notified local law enforcement authorities of the CSAM activity occurring on the Snapchat account, which was owned by Huizer.
Law enforcement investigators searched Huizer’s Zanesville residence on January 26, and took him into custody. In addition to searching his phone, investigators examined his computer, upon which additional CSAM files were found.
Investigators interviewed Huizer, who said he found the image on Telegram, another communication app. Huizel admitted to attempting to send the CSAM via Snapchat, to show the image to his friend.
Muskingum County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney John Dever says every instance of CSAM creates a cycle of victimization.
“The defendant, in his statement to the court, said that he thought that possessing CSAM was a victimless crime,” Dever said. “Now, he knows that to be simply false. Every CSAM prosecution is important because every download and every transmission tells the creators of this material that there is an active demand for it. Every download and every transmission not only revictimizes the children within the CSAM. It incentives the victimization of other children.”
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