BRISTOL — Scott Remick, 46, of Bristol on July 8 pleaded innocent in U.S. District Court in Burlington to one count of possession of child pornography. Remick was released on conditions the next day after U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle denied the U.S. attorney’s effort to hold him in jail until a July 26 hearing.

According to court records and proceedings, on June 16 an informant identified a security vulnerability in a computer that belonged to Remick. The informant was described as a private software developer and security analyst who is part of a group of individuals involved in analyzing a specific piece of software with a specific security vulnerability

The software developer who was searching the internet for these security vulnerabilities viewed some of the image files on Remick’s computer, including looking in an encrypted part of the computer, and according to the U.S. Attorney’s office discovered child pornography. The informant/software developer created a text file that contained directories and file names of files located in the encrypted volume on Remick’s computer. The file names indicated the files contained sexually explicit content involving children.

The informant reported their findings to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and to the Vermont State Police. VSP reached out to special agents with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). After HSI investigated, agents obtained a warrant to remotely search electronically stored information at Remick’s residence, and a second warrant to search Remick’s residence.

On July 3, HSI agents executed the remote search warrant and recovered images of child pornography, as well as items associated with Remick, according to authorities. On July 7, HSI agents searched Remick’s home. Agents determined that a self-built computer at the residence was the same one searched pursuant to the remote search warrant. Agents found additional images of child pornography on the self-built computer, they said.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt emphasized the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Ophardt noted that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Justice Department’s 15-year nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc.