TOMS RIVER — A 32-year-old township man has pleaded guilty to distributing child sexual abuse material and faces a recommended four-year prison sentence, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
Cory Baxter entered the plea Oct. 27 before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2027.
Prosecutors will seek four years in state prison and parole supervision for life. Baxter also will be required to register under Megan’s Law.
The investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children alerted the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to online activity involving the exchange of child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
Investigators with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Squad traced activity on the Kik messaging app to an IP address linked to a Toms River home. Authorities identified Baxter as the person using the account.
On July 21, detectives from the prosecutor’s office and Toms River police searched Baxter’s residence under a court-authorized warrant. An initial examination of his electronic devices found the email address linked to the Kik account on his cellphone, according to prosecutors.
A more extensive forensic review established that Baxter had distributed multiple images of child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
Baxter was arrested without incident and taken to the Ocean County Jail. He was later released under New Jersey’s pretrial release procedures.
Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Shanon Chant-Berry is prosecuting the case.
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