Two Albemarle County men charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography have been arrested by Albemarle County police, and a third man sought for identical charges is currently on the run. According to authorities, 27-year-old Stephen Michael Fortney of Crozet and 29-year-old Bryan Petersen Malmstrom of Charlottesville face felony charges for their inappropriate online behavior. However, Walter D. Gregory, 44, of Crozet is at large as of press time.
These arrests come, in part, as a result of investigation by the Albemarle County branch of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force. With a regional office hosted at the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, the task force helps local jurisdictions with the arrest of individuals who use the Internet and other electronic means to view sexually exploited children or to exploit children themselves. At the local level, the Albemarle County branch of the organization investigates complaints of child pornography and Internet predators who use chat rooms.
Stephen Michael Fortney, top, and Bryan Petersen Malmstrom were arrested for possession of child pornography, while Walter D. Gregory is still wanted for the same crime as of press time.
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Authorities did not clarify whether evidence suggests that the Albemarle County men were involved in anything more illicit than viewing child pornography.
The ICAC task force, created in 1998, is funded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and is composed of 45 regional task force agencies around the country. Albemarle County became part of the regional task force in 2000.
Following the recent arrests, Fortney was released on bond as he awaits a hearing, while Malmstrom continues to be housed at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
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