World’s Worst Dad Candidate Shares Explicit Photo of Daughter to Internet, Felony Charges Follow

Albuquerque –

Timothy Houle of Albuquerque is accused of having possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) containing images of his young child. Houle was taken into custody over the weekend following an investigation conducted by the New Mexico Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and is charged with Possession of Visual Medium of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Under 13) and Distribution of Visual Medium of Sexual Exploitation of Children. Each charge holds a sentencing range of 0-11 years. 

According to an arrest warrant, Houle was using a social media app called “Kik” to share images of his daughter to another user on the application. NMDOJ’s ICAC agents received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding an incident of CSAM being possessed or transmitted on Friday, January 23, after NCMEC received a report submission from MediaLab/Kik. ICAC agents launched an immediate investigation in which they requested information from Comcast and tracked the IP address to a street address associated with Houle.

Agents found Houle was living with his parents and executed a search warrant at the residence. According to the criminal complaint, Houle denied using the app for several years and did not know how it got logged back in. He later admitted he got drunk and downloaded several messaging apps. He said he has hard days at work and drinks after those days.

“This case is deeply disturbing and underscores the critical importance of swift law enforcement action,” said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “I commend our investigators and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for recognizing the imminent danger in this case and apprehending the defendant within 24 hours. A parent exploiting their own child represents one of the most horrific violations imaginable, and my office will prosecute this case aggressively. Sexual offenders in New Mexico should be on notice: if you target or exploit children in this state, you will be found, arrested, and held accountable.” 

The investigation uncovered that the defendant, Houle, was divorced and sharing custody of two children, one of which matched the age and description of the child in the reported photo. The NMDOJ’s ICAC agents, along with officers from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, executed a search warrant and immediately apprehended the defendant. 

According to NMDOJ, the investigation was brought as a part of the NMDOJ’s ICAC Division, whose mission is to locate, track, and capture internet child sexual predators and internet child pornographers in New Mexico. There are 86 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies associated with the New Mexico ICAC Division, which is funded by a grant administered by the NMDOJ. Anyone with information relating to suspected child predators and suspected child abuse is encouraged to contact federal or local law enforcement.   

We will update this story if we learn anymore information.