Milford Man Charged With Child Pornography, Indecent Assault

MILFORD, MA — A Milford man is facing charges involving suspected sexual abuse and exploitation of a child following a joint investigation by local and state police.

Manuel Dafonte, 37, was charged on Wednesday with possession of child pornography as a second offense, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, posing or exhibiting a child in a nude or lascivious pose and photographing the sexual or intimate parts of a child.

The charges came after Milford police and the Massachusetts State Police Cyber Crime Unit investigated the production and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to Milford police.

The investigation intensified after a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led investigators to believe images allegedly possessed by Dafonte showed the recent sexual abuse of a child, police said.

Milford detectives located Dafonte at about 9:52 p.m. on Wednesday driving a white Nissan Frontier on Medway Road, according to police. Detectives stopped the vehicle at the Mobil gas station on Medway Road.

Around the same time, members of the Massachusetts State Police STOP Team, State Police Cyber Crime Unit and Milford Police Patrol Division executed a search warrant at Dafonte’s Taft Street home.

“Crimes against children are among the most heinous offenses we encounter,” Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino said. “To know that this individual was previously charged with possession of child pornography and is now accused of similar conduct involving the exploitation of a child is deeply disturbing.”

Tusino also thanked Massachusetts State Police for assisting with the investigation and arrest.

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