Capitol Police arrest man after W.Va. Culture Center incident

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lawrence Messina
(304) 558-2930
Lawrence.C.Messina@wv.gov

April 6, 2015

Mercer County man arrested after allegedly accessing child pornography on W.Va. Culture Center public computer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Capitol Police have arrested a Mercer County man on charges alleging he accessed child pornography from the Internet while using a public computer terminal on the West Virginia Capitol Complex grounds.

Matthew Jacob Newsome, 21, of Bluefield, faces a felony charge over the alleged Feb. 12, 2015 incident at the Culture Center library operated by the W.Va. Library Commission. Capitol Police Cpl. M.S. Swecker arrested Newsome on Friday, April 3, in Mercer County following an investigation.

The public terminals have filters and are monitored. W.Va. Office of Technology cyber-security analysts assigned to the W.Va. Intelligence Fusion Center detected the criminal activity and alerted Capitol Police. Newsome was identified as a suspect after Capitol Police reviewed security video footage and interviewed library staff as well as an alleged witness of the Feb. 12 visit.

Capitol Police also obtained a search warrant for the computer involved. An analysis by the Fusion Center found a large quantity of images depicting minor female and male children engaged in sexual acts, with some also involving adults.

Following his arrest, Newsome made an initial appearance in Mercer County Magistrate Court on Friday before being taken to the Southern Regional Jail.

The Division of Protective Services, also known as the Capitol Police, seeks to ensure the safety and security of those who visit, work or conduct business at the State Capitol Complex and other state facilities. Both the Capitol Police and the Fusion Center are part of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.

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