The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on December 19, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Joshua Hartness, age 45, of Colebrook, New Hampshire, with possession of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
Hartness entered a plea of not guilty to the charges during an arraignment on December 20, 2024, before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle. Judge Doyle ordered that Hartness be released on conditions.
According to the indictment, Hartness allegedly possessed one or more images of CSAM between May 22 and August 26, 2022.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasised that an indictment contains allegations only and that Hartness is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Hartness faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
However, the District Court would determine the actual sentence with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.
