A registered sex offender living in Revere, Massachusetts, who was previously incarcerated for a child pornography conviction, has been arrested for possession of child pornography again.
Massachusetts State Police say detectives took 45-year-old Kenneth Higgins, into custody on Wednesday. The Level 2 sex offender has multiple prior convictions for possessing child sex abuse materials, police say, and he had been on probation following his release from prison for a 2008 child pornography conviction.
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State police say the new charges stemmed from an investigation that began as a result of a cyber tip provided by Yahoo to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip included several picture files depicting child pornography, and it also had data related to the IP address that accessed the picture files.
The tip was referred to state police, and the department began investigating.
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Early Wednesday morning, detectives and the state police cyber crime unit executed a search warrant at Higgins' Revere Beach Parkway apartment. Higgins allegedly refused to provide a passcode so they could access his cell phone, but a trooper was able to retrieve its memory card.
According to police, hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse material were found on the card.
Higgins was placed under arrest and then brought to Chelsea District Court to be arraigned. He was ordered held without bail for violating his probation from his previous case by allegedly committing a repeated offense. Attorney information wasn't immediately available, and it's unclear when Higgins is due in court again.
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As part of the same investigation, police executed a separate search warrant at a home in Chelsea, where a friends of Higgins lives. While searching the Hawthorne Street apartment, troopers seized several electronic devices that will be analyzed by the cyber crime unit, police said. Depending on what is found, charges may be filed against that person.
An investigation is ongoing.
