No Other Individual Involved In Judge Jonathan Newell's Alleged Exploitation Of Children, Images Were Not Distributed, Officials Say
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Jonathan Newell, a Caroline County Circuit Court judge who killed himself in September as FBI agents attempted to apprehend him on child pornography charges, did not work with other individuals in the alleged exploitation and did not distribute any images, federal and state officials said Wednesday.
The Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, FBI, Maryland State Police, Dorchester County State's Attorney and Caroline County State's Attorney continued investigating Newell's conduct after his suicide and released a statement Wednesday saying he acted alone.
Maryland State Police said in September that Newell was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the same day FBI agents went to his house to arrest him.
In July, police responded to a cabin on Hoopers Island where Newell had taken local children on retreats. A child found a video camera in the bathroom and called his parents.
Several boys told police that while at the cabin, Newell checked their naked bodies for ticks while in the bathroom, according to court documents.
Newell denied placing the camera while talking with investigators but went to his bedroom and swallowed a memory card, according to court documents. A CT scan showed the memory card was still in his body.
Investigators later found multiple digital devices and a hard drive that showed videos of boys showering inside Newell's home, police said.
The 50-year-old was appointed to the Caroline County Circuit Court by Gov. Larry Hogan in August 2016.
