BOZEMAN — Your devices may not be as personal as you think. That's how cybertips led Bozeman police to a man who is now facing 35 felony child sex abuse charges.
Jaden Batson, 23 of Bozeman, appeared Thursday in Justice Court after investigators received six separate cybertips, digital red flags that ultimately led investigators to his devices and disturbing evidence.
Prosecutors said in court that after being read his rights, Batson allegedly admitted to owning more than 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material.
“I would say that these types of crimes are the type of crimes that really shock our conscience," Bozeman police Capt. Dana McNeil said. "These are crimes against the most vulnerable people among us.”
McNeil said that although many of these crimes occur via the Internet, they are not victimless.
“We get cybertips all of the time," he said. "Cybertips can be anything from general information relating to the sexual exploitation of a child to far more specific information.”
During interviews, Batson reportedly described himself as "sick" and "twisted."
So how do detectives get cybertips?
“Providers have to report this type of information," McNeil said. "Sometimes an automated process will find material that will cause a report, or sometimes someone in the general public may get an image and be concerned about a kid, and they will make a report. There are several ways it can be reported.”
McNeil said their top priority in any case like this is identifying the children in the images.
“We collaborate with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force to share information and locate kids,” he said.
Court documents show Batson's actions weren't just in the United States. One cybertip details a $20 payment sent to a man in Colombia linked to child pornography.
“We definitely have to work with other states and other jurisdictions and with other law enforcement agencies all over the world. Obviously, this type of crime is very easy to commit across state lines and national boundaries,” McNeil said.
A Bozeman police cyber investigator says investigating these types of crimes is lengthy. They follow a reverse breadcrumb trail through gigabytes of data before securing a search warrant to proceed.
Batson is being held at the Gallatin County Detention Center on $250,000 bond.
