HARTWICK, NY — A 20-year-old man has been arrested on charges related to child sexual exploitation following an investigation into cyber tips.
Kyle M. Ruiz, of Hartwick, was arrested March 3 on charges of promotion of a sexual performance by a child and obscenity in the third degree.
The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office said the arrest followed an investigation into multiple cyber tips received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Investigators determined Ruiz used multiple usernames to solicit sexual content from other users on various social media platforms, according to the sheriff’s office.
On Jan. 22, investigators from the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police Computer Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at Ruiz’s residence.
The examination of multiple seized devices provided additional probable cause for the arrest, authorities said.
Ruiz turned himself in to the sheriff’s office for processing on March 3.
He was lodged in the Otsego County Correctional Facility to await centralized arraignment.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.
Ruiz is scheduled to appear in Town of Hartwick Court.
