Suffolk County Police on Wednesday, March 6 arrested a Bay Shore sex offender for possession of child pornography. Following a tip from the New York State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Suffolk County Police Digital Forensics Unit detectives conducted an investigation into Salvatore Passarelli Jr., a registered Level 1 sex offender.
Digital Forensics Unit detectives, Canine Section officers and Third Precinct officers executed a search warrant at Passarelli’s home, located at 1075 Oak Neck Road, on February 29 and seized several electronic devices and found images of child pornography. Multiple unregistered screennames and internet identifiers were also located.
After an investigation by Digital Forensics Unit detectives, along with the assistance of the Special Victims Unit detectives, Passarelli, 36, was arrested today at 7:45 p.m. and charged with Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, and two counts of Sex Offender Registry Violations, all felonies. He is being held overnight at the Third Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 7.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Digital Forensics Unit at 631-852-6279.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.