A supervisor within the Department of Corrections is facing charges of possessing images of child sex abuse, according to the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.
Benjamin G. Mallery, 30, of Sheffield, pleaded not guilty in Superior Court in St. Johnsbury on Thursday to five felony counts of possession of child sex abuse materials and one misdemeanor count of possession of child sex abuse materials, the Attorney General’s Office said in a press release.
Judge Justin Jiron released Mallery on conditions restricting his access to minors, the internet and “devices capable of accessing the internet,” according to the release.
Mallery’s arrest followed an investigation by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which had received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Mallery had child sex abuse material stored in his Google account.
Mallery, a shift supervisor at the Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury, was placed on administrative leave on Thursday, according to a press release issued by the Department of Corrections. The department is conducting its own investigation, according to the release.
— Maggie Cassidy
