Details are emerging about a Newtown man who allegedly secretly taped "a vast number" of women, including his underage relatives, over a span of years, according to police in Salisbury, Mass., where the man had a beach house. In addition, the man -- David Anderson, 44, of Lafayette Road -- allegedly operated a false Craiglist ad and handed out flyers designed to lure in additional victims.
In November, Newtown Police arrested Anderson for child pornography when his wife allegedly found folders of "disturbing" images on his computer, and released on a $100,000 surety bond.
Then Salisbury police arrested Anderson in early Monday afternoon, and states other than Connecticut and Massachusetts -- including New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Washington -- are investigating Anderson's alleged actions.
"This started in Newtown when his wife found the images, which she soon realized were captured at their house in Salisbury," said Chief Tom Fowler of the Salisbury Police Department. The images allegedly included women who had visited the house over several years. Salisbury police seized two external hard drives, and forensic labs are investing the images, says Fowler.
At the same time, say police, Anderson was active on Craiglist.
"Two things were going on," said Fowler. "He was filming these people in his bathroom. He was also soliciting women for medical 'research,' if you will, performing what he called baseline exams under the ruse he was some type of medical research student. Part of what we discovered were questionnaires [Anderson had allegedly made.]" Fowler said Anderson also allegedly traveled to New York to hand out flyers.
According to CBS News in Boston, Anderson subjected women to "invasive digital probing" and filled his house with medical equipment in an effort to appear legitimate. He would allegedly videotape the encounters, police say.
No details were available on the content of the Craiglist ads, but police confirmed that Anderson allegedly offered to pay women who responded between $25 and $50. Police ask anyone who suspect they may be victims to contact authorities.
"If there's any victims out there that may not have realized they've been victimized, we'd first determine where it took place and then get them in touch with the proper authorities," said Fowler.
[The above arrest information was provided by the Salisbury Police Department and the Newtown Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interested in Newtown's news, events, community bulletins, blogs and businesses? Sign up for the free Newtown Patch daily newsletter, "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
