Hartford Man Charged With Production & Possession Of Child Pornography
Monday, December 29, 2025, 7:00 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BURLINGTON, VT.- On Friday, December 19, 2025, a 23-year-old Hartford, Vermont, man was ordered detained after being arraigned on a Federal Indictment charging him with federal child pornography offenses.
According to First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher, earlier this month, a Federal Grand Jury for the District of Vermont returned an indictment charging Brian Wood, 23, of Hartford, Vermont, with one count of Production of Child Pornography; and one count of Possession of Child Pornography. Wood was arraigned in Federal Court in Burlington, Vermont, and was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle pending future court proceedings.
According to the charging information unsealed in the indictment, in February 2025, Wood was taken into custody for luring a child following an undercover investigation by members of the Hartford Police Department. During his arrest, Investigators seized Wood’s cellular phone.
During a forensic examination of Wood’s cellular phone, Investigators uncovered that between March and May of 2023, Wood was messaging with a 14-year-old girl. Wood then coerced and persuaded her to create sexually explicit digital images and video files of herself, and then instructed her to send those media files to him.
After identifying the girl, Investigators from the Hartford Police Department interviewed the child, who confirmed the messaging and reported that Wood had sexually abused her at a New England Christian Music Festival the two had attended.
Wood’s unlawful interactions with children remain under active investigation. Anyone with information regarding Wood’s unlawful conduct or who may have been a victim is urged to contact the Hartford, Vermont, Police Department.
If convicted at trial, Wood faces on the production of child pornography count a mandatory minimum of fifteen years and up to 30 years in federal prison on the production of child pornography count. On the count of possession of child pornography, Wood faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 10 years in federal prison. At sentencing, upon a finding of guilt, a U.S. District Court Judge would determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offenses and Wood’s prior criminal history, if any.
“The rules of the 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.”
