REVERE — Massachusetts State Police detectives arrested a Revere man today after finding hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse on his mobile phone.
Kenneth Higgins, 45, faces charges of possession of child pornography and possession of child pornography, third offense.
Higgins, a Level 2 Sex Offender with prior convictions for similar offenses, is currently on probation from a previous child pornography conviction in 2008.
The arrest resulted from a collaborative investigation by the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County and the State Police Cyber Crime Unit.
The investigation began after Yahoo provided a cyber tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which included several files depicting child pornography and the associated IP address.
Early this morning, troopers, with aid from a Revere Police detective, executed a search warrant at Higgins’ apartment on Revere Beach Parkway.
Although Higgins refused to unlock his phone, troopers retrieved its memory card and found the illegal content.
Higgins was apprehended and taken to the State Police-Revere Barracks for processing.
Following his booking, Higgins was arraigned at Chelsea District Court and held without bail for violating the terms of his probation.
In a related action, troopers searched an apartment at 165 Hawthorne St., Chelsea, belonging to an associate of Higgins.
Several electronic devices were seized for analysis, with potential charges pending based on the findings.
The State Police have released Higgins’ booking photo from today’s arrest.
