Latest news with #InternetCrimesAgainst
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dogs help New Mexico Department of Justice sniff out crimes against children
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Department of Justice Special Agent Mariah Gonzales has no ordinary partner — she's got four legs, a tail and a collar. But she brings a new definition to sniffing out crime. Special Agent Nyx, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, fills a unique role in the department's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit: sniffing out the phones, hard drives and other devices suspects use to store child sexual abuse material. 'She's a vital tool for us in the event that investigators might overlook or miss devices that could potentially have child sexual abuse material on them,' Gonzales said in an interview. 051925_ElectronicDog02rgb.jpg Nyx, a 2-year-old Labrador and electronic scent detection K-9, is led through statues of people in conversation by her handler, Special Agent Mariah Gonzalez, in downtown Albuquerque during a walk around the block Monday. Nyx, officially designated an 'electronic detection K-9,' represents a strategy law enforcement agencies have been using for years across the country. She's trained to sniff out a compound called triphenylphosphine oxide, which coats just about every device used to store data, including cellphones, hard drives, SD cards, etc. Most of the time, Nyx is deployed on search warrants. Gonzales will give her cues, and the pair will follow Nyx's nose throughout the house, vehicle — or whatever the search warrant is for — until she finds something, at which point she's trained to sit and point. Nyx is one of two special agent canines working for the state Department of Justice, said spokesperson Chelsea Pitvorec. Nyx's counterpart, Gadget, is 'primarily housed in our Human Trafficking Unit as an emotional support animal and is secondarily a trained electronic detection scent dog who can assist with ICAC search warrants and other operations as needed,' Pitvorec wrote in an email. 051925_ElectronicDog03rgb.jpg Nyx, a 2-year-old Labrador and and electronic scent detection K-9, wags her tail while heading back to the office after a brief walk with her handler, Special Agent Mariah Gonzalez, in downtown Albuquerque on Monday. Both dogs are successors to another dog named Joey, who served the agency for six years before retiring last year. Nyx is like any other agent with the New Mexico Department of Justice — just with a couple extra legs, fur and an exceptional sniffer. She trains every day with Gonzales, who hides electronic devices as practice runs for Nyx and earns treats each time she succeeds. She goes out on every search warrant the Internet Crimes Against Children unit serves, though Gonzales and Pitvorec couldn't say exactly how many times the Labrador has been deployed in the field in the roughly year she's been working. Nyx's services are sometimes loaned out to law enforcement agencies throughout the state to aid in their investigations, Gonzales said. 051925_ElectronicDog04rgb.jpg A small stuffed animal of Nyx's predecessor Joey, a now-retired electronic scent detection K-9, perched on a window at the state Department of Justice's offices in Albuquerque on Monday. Nyx also sometimes pulls double duty as a comfort dog when on assignment, providing support to unsettled or otherwise traumatized children who may be around during the unit's investigations. 'With the cases that we work, a lot of the times, there might be kids on scene,' Gonzales said. 'And so she's able to be there, not only to assist us in the investigation, but also to be there for the victims.' But Nyx is also like any other dog. Every night, she goes home with Gonzales, shedding her police vest and going on runs or playing fetch with her human partner. She's never found a squeaky toy she couldn't beat, destroying two per week, Gonzales estimates. 051925_ElectronicDog05rgb.jpg Badges on display — one reading Special Agent Attorney General NM and the other reading Agent NYX — at Civic Plaza in Albuquerque on Monday. Nyx — who's attached at the hip of Gonzales — has eyes for few others, constantly gazing up at her and taking her cues from every movement she makes. 'I'm, like, her favorite person,' Gonzales said. 'But, also, I have her reward bag.'
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Montgomery County: Woman arrested after child pornography investigation, officials say
The Brief Larri Gardner has been charged with Possession of Child Pornography. Detectives started an investigation in December 2024 regarding "sexual assault material regarding infants and toddlers." Garnder is being held on a $100,000 bond. MONTGOMERY COUNTY - A woman has been arrested and charged after a monthslong investigation regarding child pornography, according to Montgomery County officials. What we know According to the Precinct 3 Montgomery County Constable's Office, Larri Lane Gardner is facing charges of Possession of Child Pornography. She was booked into the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office jail, where she is being held on a $100,000 bond. Detectives with the Precinct 3 office's Internet Crimes Against Children unit started an investigation in December 2024. Officials say the investigation focused on "the possession and distribution of child sexual assault material involving infants and toddlers." Gardner was allegedly identified as the person responsible for possessing and distributing that material. Officials say they executed a search warrant at Gardner's home. She was then found and arrested. What we don't know There is no information on any evidence leading to Gardner's arrest. The Source Facebook post from the Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable's Office.
