Man nabbed on charges of possessing child sex abuse images

Ricardo Vera (Police mugshot)

GRANTHAM - A Grantham man was arrested on Thursday for alleged possession of child sexual abuse images.

The arrest came as law enforcement from several agencies descended on the suspect's home address at 18 Butternut Road.

Ricardo Vera, 36, is currently charged with five counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, all Class A felonies.

Additional charges are anticipated pending a forensic analysis of the digital evidence seized during this investigation, officials said.

Investigators had developed recent information to believe that Vera used various social media platforms to communicate with and potentially make in-person contact with children and that he was known to have traveled to Mississippi and Florida frequently.

Prior to moving to New Hampshire in 2019 Vera resided in the states of Texas (2017), attended the University of New Hampshire (2014 - 2016) and lived in the state of New Jersey (2007 - 2014).

The investigation into Vera's contact with children is ongoing and investigators are receiving assistance from local police departments as well as other state and federal agencies.

Investigators are asking parents whose children may have been in the care of Vera, or who have been otherwise exposed to Vera to speak with their children about any experiences that they may have had with him. They are also asking parents to report any odd or suspicious behaviors that they may have observed regarding him.

This investigation initiated with a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which indicated the illegal use of computers and alleged possession and/or distribution of sexual abuse images of prepubescent children from within his residence.

If parents have concerns that their child may have been victimized or if they believe that they may have some useful information regarding this investigation, they are asked to please contact Detective Sergeant Michael McLaughlin at (603) 419-0130 / Michael.McLaughlin@dos.nh.gov or Detective William Neilsen at (603) 931-0854 / William.Neilsen@dos.nh.gov.

Vera appeared before the Sullivan County Superior Court on Friday for a video arraignment and is currently being held on preventative detention. He will be scheduled for an evidentiary hearing at some point in the near future.