ROCHESTER MAN ARRESTED ON FEDERAL CHILD EXPLOITATION CHARGES: CRIMINAL COMPLAINT DETAILS DIGITAL COMMUNICATION WITH MINOR AND EVIDENCE DELETION

A Rochester, New York resident has been arrested and charged by federal criminal complaint following an investigation into the exploitation of a minor involving direct digital communication and the exchange of explicit material.

Kenneth Tootle, 37, of Rochester, has been charged with production of child sexual abuse material, enticement of a minor, and receipt of child sexual abuse material. The charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, with a maximum penalty of life.

According to the criminal complaint, the investigation began on January 18, 2026, when the Rochester Police Department received a report from a parent who discovered concerning communications on her seven-year-old daughter’s cell phone. The report included evidence of messaging activity between the minor victim and Tootle, along with the presence of sexually explicit images and videos.

A forensic review of the child’s device confirmed that the minor had been in communication with Tootle and had transmitted images and videos of herself that meet the legal definition of child sexual abuse material. Investigators subsequently obtained and executed a search warrant for Tootle’s cellular device. The complaint states that the images transmitted by the minor had been deleted from Tootle’s device prior to seizure, indicating potential attempts to remove evidence.

Tootle made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen and was ordered held pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 20, 2026.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford under the jurisdiction of the Western District of New York.

The investigation was conducted through coordinated efforts involving the Rochester Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The multi-agency response reflects standard federal procedure in cases involving the exploitation of minors, particularly where digital evidence recovery and forensic analysis are required.

Cases involving production and enticement charges typically rely on device-level forensic reconstruction, recovery of communication logs, and timeline analysis of interactions between the defendant and the victim. Even in instances where data has been deleted, investigators are often able to reconstruct activity through residual data artifacts, cloud synchronization records, and corroborating evidence from victim devices.

The criminal complaint represents a formal allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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