Landing resident James T. Hess, 50, was sentenced on Friday, August 11 to three years in New Jersey State Prison for child endangerment and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll announced.
Investigators — tipped off by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children — say Hess viewed and uploaded the videos on the Internet-based chat app Kik while at the Netcong Volunteer Fire Department, where he was a captain. He also worked for the New Jersey Fireman’s Home.
Additional images were found on an electronic device during the investigation, Carroll said.
Hess pleaded guilty on Tuesday, April 11 and will have to register under Megan’s Law upon his release.
The Roxbury Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force assisted with the investigation.
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