A man was arrested after a months-long investigation revealed the man was in possession of approximately 700,000 child pornography files. Thomas Christopher Mares, 53, was arrested March 15, 2018.
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According to a press release by the City of Fort Collins, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) contacted the Fort Collins Police Department in July of 2017 regarding “multiple cybertops NCMEC had received from an Internet Service Provider regarding sexually explicit images of children detected on the ISP’s network.”
Detectives conducted an investigation following this information, which led to the confiscation of several digital devices belonging to mares.
“A computer forensic investigator located approximately 676,000 pictures and 18,000 video files depicting sexual exploitation of children on the devices,” the release explained. “Based on facts gathered during the investigation, detectives estimate that Mares had been collecting pornographic images of children for 10-15 years.
Mares was arrested and booked into the Larimer County Jail on 60 counts of Possession of Child Exploitative Material, which is a class 3 felony.
A booking photo has been released along with a video from Fort Collins Police Services, containing further
information.
FCPS is encouraging anyone with additional information regarding this suspect to contact Detective Jason Curtis at 970-416-2776 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or www.stopcriminals.org. Those who reach out may stay anonymous.
Collegian reporter Austin Fleskes can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @Austinfleskes07.
