Steuben County Sheriff’s Deputy Charged On Child Pornography Offenses
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ROCHESTER, NJ.- On Friday, March 21, 2025, a 34-year-old Hornell, New York man, currently employed as a law enforcement officer with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, was taken into custody and jailed after being federally charged in connection with distributing and possessing digital images and video files depicting the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children.
On Friday, Stuart J. McHenry, 34, was taken into custody and charged by a criminal complaint with Distribution of Child Pornography; and Receipt of Child Pornography. McHenry made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen, pending a future detention hearing.
If Convicted At Trial, Deputy McHenry Faces Up To 20 Years In Prison
If convicted at trial, McHenry faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. McHenry, upon completion of any sentence imposed on a finding of guilt, would also be required to register as a sex offender in the national database.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo and charging information filed in the criminal complaint, during the course of an internet child pornography investigation, on July 5, 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip from the online internet instant social media messaging application, Kik, which revealed that a Kik user, “acman990,” had allegedly uploaded around 24 digital files of suspected child pornography.
A review of files uncovered that approximately 22 files contained the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children. Investigators also uncovered that McHenry additionally sent those digital files to others via private messaging. Investigators were able to trace the account to McHenry.
During further investigation, investigators determined that McHenry works as a Deputy Sheriff with the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office. On October 18, 2024, investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at McHenry’s Hornell, New York home and seized and seized two cellular devices belonging to McHenry.
A subsequent forensic examination of the cellular devices uncovered that one of the cellular phones was utilized to install the Kik instant messaging application with the username acman990. An additional review of McHenry’s iCloud account uncovered a number of sexually explicit conversations and child pornography on Kik, including the video files reported in the CyberTip, as well as additional video files and digital images of child pornography.
“The rules of the federal court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”