Caroline County, MD - Caroline County Sheriff's Deputies arrested and charged a Denton man on October 10, 2023, after a Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigation developed evidence supporting charges of possession of child sexual abuse material. 

Deputies have identified the suspect as Austyn H. Duda, 25 of Denton, Maryland. Duda is charged with 46 counts of possession of child pornography. Duda is currently being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. 

In January 2023, Caroline County Sheriff's Office, Criminal Investigations Division began an investigation into the possession of child sexual abuse material through an internet platform that had been occurring in Denton, Maryland. 

The investigation led to the identification of Duda as the suspect. The Caroline County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the Maryland State Police and Homeland Security Investigations, served a search warrant at a residence in the Town of Denton where Duda resided. 

The Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit coordinates the Maryland Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This is a combined law enforcement effort involving police departments across Maryland that is made possible in part due to grant funds provided by the Governor's Office of Crime Prevention, Youth and Victim Services and by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Task Force investigators focus on identifying those involved in child pornography via the internet and other related crimes that victimize children.