TOMS RIVER, NJ – Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Robert Lasher, 71, of Brick Township, was charged with Possession of Child Imagery on Tuesday.
The investigation was initiated by a referral from the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which received cyber-tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the uploading of child pornography. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit identified an IP address in Brick Township as the source of the uploads, leading to Lasher’s identification.
On Tuesday, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Brick Township Police Department executed a court-authorized search warrant at Lasher’s residence. A forensic examination of his electronic devices revealed several items of child pornography.
Lasher was taken into custody at his residence and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.