UPDATE: 37-year-old Joshua J. Demars of Fulton has been arrested on federal charges for receiving, transporting and possessing child pornography.
FULTON, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A former Fulton Junior High School teaching assistant has been arrested on federal child pornography charges after State Police found graphic images and videos of child sexual exploitation on his cell phone and computer.
37-year-old Joshua J. Demars of Fulton was arrested at his home on Sunday, March 19, following an investigation by the New York State Police’s Computer Crime Unit.
According to the federal complaint, on March 19, New York State Police (NYSP) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a search warrant at Demars’ residence in Fulton. The search warrant was obtained, in part, because a CyberTipline Report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicated that Demars had uploaded child pornography to Dropbox.
At the time of the search warrant execution, Demars worked as a teaching assistant and coach in the Fulton City School District. As of March 20, his name has been removed from the district’s website.
As outlined in the criminal complaint, during the search of Demars’ residence, law enforcement located several electronic devices that contained hundreds of images and videos depicting child pornography.
On those devices, law enforcement found evidence that Demars had indeed transported a video of a five-year-old to a seven-year-old female being sexually abused by an adult male to his Dropbox account, and dozens of recordings of Demars receiving live videos of children who were engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
According to the United States Department of Justice, the charges in the complaint are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
In March, New York State Police stated they did not believe any Fulton City Schools students were victims of Joshua Demars.
State Police in Fulton arrested Demars on March 19 for the following charges:
- (3) counts of Possessing Sexual Performance by a Child, class “E” felony
- (2) counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, class “D” felony
- (1) count of Tampering with Evidence, class “E” felony.
Demars was taken to Oswego County Court following his arrest. He was then taken to the Oswego County Jail on $2,500 cash bail and a $5,000 bond.
According to Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton, Demars was released from jail on the same day of his arrest, Sunday, March 19.
State Police were assisted by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Fulton Police Department.
Demars appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew T. Baxter on May 2 and was ordered detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 5, 2023.
If convicted, Demars faces at least five years and up to 20 years in prison, a term of supervised release of up to life, and a fine of up to $250,000, and will be required to register as a sex offender after his release from prison.
HSI and NYSP are investigating the case, and it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Tuck and Jessica Carbone as part of Project Safe Childhood.
READ THE SUPERINTENDENT’S LETTER IN FULL:
FCSD parents and families got a letter from the district on March 19 where Superintendent Brian Pulvino stated Demars was on leave and will not be on school property.
Counseling services and support staff were made available to students at Fulton Junior High School and G. Ray Bodley High School on Monday, March 20.
