Carroll Student Exposes Sex Offender From Wisconsin: Sheriff

WESTMINSTER, MD — A student at Manchester Valley High School is being credited with helping to identify a convicted sex offender who was allegedly violating the terms of his release. Recently, authorities said the student notified an administrator at her school that someone on Snapchat had been asking her to send explicit photographs of herself.

The administrator took the matter to Deputy Kyle Barget, the school resource officer on duty, who found she was not alone; other students had been contacted by the Snapchat user, who "identified themselves as a local student but would not reveal their name," the Carroll County Sheriff's Office reported.

Barget notified the Carroll County Child Advocacy and Investigation Center, where Detective Jill Bankard traced the owner of the Snapchat account to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

When detectives in Wisconsin executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home there on Oct. 25, officials said they found "significant amounts" of child pornography and arrested David A. Drummond.

Drummond, 35, is already a registered sex offender, according to officials.

He was charged in Wisconsin with the following, according to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office:

• 10 counts of possession of child pornography
• Three counts of solicitation of child pornography from juvenile victims from Maryland
• One count of violating the terms of his sex offender registration

While no charges are expected to be filed in Maryland, authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and more charges may be filed in Wisconsin.

In Maryland, local officials said the case demonstrated a system that is working.

"The successful resolution of this issue is just one positive example of what can be accomplished when our schools and our Sheriff’s Office work together in the best interest of our students," Superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools Dr. Steven Lockard said in a statement.

"The positive relationships the [school resource officers] have with school administration, staff and students resulted in the quick identification and arrest of the suspect," Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees said in a statement.

Officials noted that the sex offender posed as a student; law enforcement cautioned youths from chatting with people they do not know online, particularly if the conversation has a physical or sexual focus.

Anyone concerned about such a situation should notify a parent, school staffer or the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at 410-386-5900.

Photo courtesy of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office.