A 30-year-old Roanoke Rapids man is scheduled for an initial appearance Thursday in federal court in Greenville after a true bill of indictment was returned earlier this month on multiple counts of receiving and possessing child pornography.
Christopher Van Skipper’s court appearance is scheduled before Magistrate Judge Kimberly A. Swank at 10 a.m.
In a statement, Halifax County Sheriff Wes Tripp said City County Drug Task Force agents arrested Skipper today.
He said the charges stem from an investigation by Lieutenant Joseph Sealey of the sheriff’s office and the Department of Homeland Security which began in April.
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Skipper was taken into custody without trouble by task force agents and turned over to the custody of Homeland Security agents.
Tripp said this afternoon he could not comment beyond the statement.
In the indictment, which was returned September 8 and is now contained in the electronic court record, the grand jury charges in counts 1 through 10 — receipt of child pornorgraphy — Skipper, beginning on April 14, did knowingly receive digital and computer images in files which had been mailed, shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce.
According to the indictment, the productions involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and were depictions of such conduct.
In count 11 — possession of child pornography — the grand jury charged Skipper knowingly possessed media containing digital and computer images, the production of which involved the use of one or more prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained 12 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which images visually depicted such conduct.
The indictment notes should Skipper be convicted of any of the counts he must forfeit to the United States any visual depiction or book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape, or other matter which contains any such visual depiction alleged in the document.
He must forfeit any property, real or personal, constituting or traceable to gross profits or other proceeds obtained from the offense or offenses and any property, real or personal, used or intended to be used to commit or to promote the commission of such offense or offenses.