Under the supervision of Aston police, two interns in the digital forensics lab accompanied officers to the location of a crime scene on January 3 in anticipation of a search warrant being executed. The students were able to observe as investigators searched for and collected evidence in real time.
Cybersecurity majors Rob Smith and Dalton Cannon, both seniors, watched officers search a home on Crystal Road for electronic devices and take photos of the scene. They witnessed the sniffing prowess of an electronic detection K-9 as the dog located several digital devices hidden throughout the home.
“It was an honor watching the detectives work and collect evidence,” says Smith. “It was a special opportunity that I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for Detective [Joe] Walsh, Dean [Eric] Wellington and Chief [Daniel] Ruggieri.”
Cannon was also impressed by the officers and their four-legged colleague. “Watching K-9 Mac searching and finding devices in hidden locations was really interesting,” he recalls, “and Mac found quite a few.”
The police had obtained the warrant after receiving a complaint from a visitor to a holiday party at the home that the owner was secretly recording guests who used the bathroom on a camera pen.
The camera pen was brought to the NITE Center, Neumann’s digital forensics lab, where Aston Detective Joe Walsh conducted a forensic analysis of the device and discovered images of minors secretly being recorded in the homeowner’s bathroom.
The students did not review the images because of the potentially graphic nature of the content.
The warrant revealed phones, computers and other devices that contained hundreds of inappropriate images of children. The owner was charged with possession and production of child sexual abuse material, unlawful contact with minors, and invasion of privacy.