Winchendon man arrested on child porn charges

WINCHENDON – A Winchendon man arrested Wednesday and charged with possession and dissemination of child pornography and two counts of improper storage of a firearm has been released on bail.

According to information provided by the Winchendon Police, Douglas Duarte, 49, was arrested after Winchendon Police, the Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force, the Massachusetts State Police STOP Task Force, and members of the North Worcester County Drug Task Force executed a search of Duarte’s home at 356 Baldwinville State Road.

The search, according to the department, was conducted specifically to find evidence of possession and dissemination of child pornography. Evidence seized included electronics and hard drives and Duarte was arrested at the scene.

“A preliminary forensic search at the scene indicated a large cache of files containing child pornography,” the department stated.

Duarte was arraigned in Winchendon District Court in Gardner Wednesday afternoon. He was ordered held on $500 cash bail, which he subsequently posted. Duarte was prohibited from having any contact with anyone under the age of 16 and prohibited from possessing any firearms. Duarte will be back in court on Tuesday, April 1.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.