Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 26, 2024
Zanesville Man Put Away in Prison for Child Sexual Assault Materials
A Zanesville resident was sentenced to time in prison for his sex crimes involving a minor.
On April 22, Charles E. Cawley, age 43, of Zanesville, appeared in Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas for sentencing. Common Pleas Judge Kelly Cottrill sentenced Cawley to at least eight years in prison for the felony crime of pandering obscenity involving a minor. Cawley will also be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.
On September 9, 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program about child sexual abuse material (CSAM) determined to have been downloaded to a phone registered to Cawley’s mother. Cawley’s mother was contacted by investigators, and she advised them that Cawley was using the phone in question.
On December 13, law enforcement officers searched Cawley’s home, to whom he admitted downloading CSAM to the phone.
Muskingum County Assistant Prosecutor Gerald Anderson says cases involving CSAM may be a growing problem, but law enforcement agencies across the country are up to the task of fighting it.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more of these cases where a minor has not only been abused sexually, but then that abuse is trafficked all over the world for the rest of these victim’s life,” Anderson said. “Luckily, our nationwide, statewide, and local agencies work diligently to stop the spread of the child sexual abuse material and bring offenders like Charles Cawley to justice.”
Anderson says cases involving CSAM do real harm to real children.
“These are not victimless crimes: any video or image of a child being raped or abused comes from someone raping and abusing the child,” Anderson said. “These cases must address both the creation, distribution, and demand for child sexual abuse.”
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