City of Whitewater detectives have completed a complex Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigation that involved widespread illegal activity on the dark web. During the lengthy investigation, multiple suspects were identified, with one living in the City of Whitewater. A search warrant was requested and approved for the suspect’s residence. The Whitewater Search Warrant Response Team executed the search warrant and the suspect, Cody J. Pierson, 39, was taken into custody without incident.
Whitewater detectives collected a massive amount of digital evidence in the execution of the search warrant that took weeks to fully extract and analyze. Ultimately, Whitewater detectives recovered the following digital evidence:
- 114,847 images and recordings of child pornography
- A total of 4,726 identified victims portrayed in these images and video recordings
Cody Pierson was confined in the Walworth County Jail and ultimately charged by the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office with the following:
- Possession of Child Pornography (20 counts)
- Child Sexual Exploitation – Produce, Perform, etc. (20 counts)
The Whitewater Police Department would like to thank the City of Janesville Police Department (K9 Maui and handler), Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (K9 Kingston and handler), along with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation Digital Forensic Unit for their assistance with the investigation.
It is noted that this case has not been concluded. Unless a judgment of conviction is entered, the arrestee/defendant is presumed innocent of all charges.
Editor’s note: This press release was received from the Whitewater Police Department. According to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Pierson’s address is 1254 Satinwood Ln., Whitewater.
