Boulder County, Colo. - On Sunday, September 14, 2025, 34-year-old Tad Alan MCCARTNEY turned himself in at the Boulder County Jail on a warrant for five counts of sexual exploitation of a child relating to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) depicting a child under the age of 12 years. The investigation began after the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information about distribution of CSAM from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). After learning that the suspect was possibly in the Boulder County area, Colorado ICAC sent the tip to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, an ICAC Task Force affiliate, for further investigation.

Through investigation and service of court orders on various electronic service providers, an ICAC investigator at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab identified MCCARTNEY as a suspect and was able to obtain a search warrant for his residence in the 800 block of Hilltop St., Longmont, Boulder County, CO. Detectives, with the assistance of the Longmont SWAT Team, served the search warrant and seized several electronic devices. Further investigation resulted in probable cause to obtain an arrest warrant for MCCARTNEY for possession of CSAM.

MCCARTNEY was booked into the Boulder County Jail on September 14, 2025, on the arrest warrant for: five counts of violating C.R.S. §18-6-403(3)(b.5)(5.5), sexual exploitation of a child – possession of images, a Class 5 Extraordinary Risk Felony. On Monday, September 15, 2025, MCCARTNEY was released from jail after posting a $5,000 secured bond with additional conditions of: no contact with anyone under the age of 18 years (including his own), no use of internet devices or social media, and he may not leave the state.

Agencies who assisted with this investigation include the: Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, and Boulder Police Department.

District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated, “Since the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab started working these investigations, three things have been made clear. First, there are individuals distributing and using child sexual abuse material in every community; so, we are fortunate to have this outstanding team pursuing these cases in Boulder County. Second, these cases involve actual victims because of what the videos depict. Finally, in this jurisdiction, the investigators and prosecutors will work hard to search out offenders, protect victims, and fight for justice.”

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number for this investigation is 25-03020.

About the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab:
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office houses local members of the Colorado ICAC Task Force, comprised of Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to other responsibilities, investigators assigned to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab are tasked with investigating child sexual exploitation cases and high technology crimes and provide digital forensics expertise and analysis on a wide range of cases.

About ICAC:
The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a group of local and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors located in and around the state of Colorado who are trained and dedicated to protecting children online by investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against children, facilitated by the internet, technology, and computer usage. Colorado ICAC is a member of the National ICAC Task Force.

If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited online, you can report it online at NCMEC's CyberTipLine website or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.

As in every criminal case, these charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

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/s/Detective Sergeant Clay Leak, BCDFL

Tad McCartney booking photo