State Police have arrested a Trumansburg man following an investigation into the online dissemination of indecent material to a minor.
According to State Police, troopers at the Montour Falls barracks received a complaint in December reporting inappropriate online communications between an adult male and a juvenile female. Investigators determined the suspect, 27-year-old Franklin Zanker, used social media platforms to communicate with the minor and engaged in sexually explicit video and audio interactions.
The case was taken over by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation and included a forensic interview with the juvenile victim conducted at the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center. Investigators say evidence confirmed the suspect knowingly engaged in and disseminated indecent material to a minor.
On January 15, State Police, working with the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at a residence on Voorheis Road in the town of Hector. Zanker was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Montour Falls barracks for processing.
He was charged with Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the first degree, a class D felony. Zanker was arraigned in Schuyler County CAP and remanded to the Schuyler County Jail. An order of protection was requested on behalf of the juvenile victim.
State Police are asking anyone who may have had contact with Zanker or who has information related to this investigation to contact the New York State Police at (585) 398-4100. Tips may also be submitted anonymously by email to [email protected].
The investigation was conducted by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office and the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
