AURORA | An 18-year-old man is facing multiple sexual extortion and exploitation charges after the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office accused him of abusing minors.
Arapahoe County sheriff officials said in a statement Friday that investigators with the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit began investigating John Farnsworth Van Der Bosch on Feb. 6 for harassing and extorting children through SnapChat and text messages.
Investigators said Van Der Bosch was sexually exploiting children and possessed materials containing child sexual abuse, according to the press statement. He was arrested on May 22.
He faces the following charges:
- Five counts of sexual exploitation of a child, which vary from class 3 to class 5 felonies
- One count of sexual extortion, a class 4 felony
- Aggravated cruelty to animal, a class 4 felony
Van Der Bosch was booked into the Arapahoe County Detention Facility and is held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
The press statement does not specify the number of victims, or the age and gender of the victims. However, investigators believe that there are more victims involved.
People who have information about this case, or know someone who has been harassed or exploited by Van Der Bosch can call the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Tip Line at 720-874-8477.