Rutland Resident Arrested for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

The Attorney General's Office announced that Dallas Potter, 29, of Rutland, Vermont, was arraigned today on four felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material - Second Offense. The charges brought against the defendant are the result of an investigation conducted by the Rutland Probation & Parole Office, the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC) including personnel from the Attorney General's Office, Rutland City Police Department, Vermont State Police, and Homeland Security Investigations.

The investigation began when Rutland Probation & Parole reached out to Mr. Potter at his home. Mr. Potter was previously ordered to probation after being convicted of Possession of Child Pornography (currently referred to as child sexual abuse material) and Promoting a Recording of Sexual Conduct in 2023. VT-ICAC also received a CyberTipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an individual possessed and attempted to upload images of child sexual abuse material to Microsoft Bing reverse image search in which Mr. Potter was identified as the suspect. A search at Mr. Potter's residence revealed that a computer belonging to him contained child sexual abuse material.

Mr. Potter pleaded not guilty at his arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Rutland Unit Criminal Division. The Court, Judge Alexander Burke presiding, ordered Mr. Potter be held without bail on his pending violation of probation, and ordered conditions of release that prohibit Mr. Potter's access to minors and the internet.

VT-ICAC investigates cases of child sexual exploitation occurring over the internet, including the production and online distribution of child sexual abuse materials. VT-ICAC also provides forensic examination services, technical assistance, law enforcement training, and public education and outreach.

Every child deserves a safe childhood. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nation's centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. Anyone can make reports of suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, child sexual molestation, child sexual abuse material, child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child, misleading domain names, and misleading words or digital images on the internet. To make a report, call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org.

Additionally, if you are recovering from child sexual exploitation, you do not have to navigate it alone. NCMEC can help with emotional and peer support, removing content from the internet, and locating mental health professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resourcesor call the 24-hour call center at 1-800-843-5678.

The Attorney General's Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CONTACT: Lauren Jandl, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171