Who is Slade Sohmer, former editor of ‘The Recount’, and what did he do?

Warning: The following article mentions child sexual abuse. Please read with caution.

Slade Sohmer, former editor-in-chief of the U.S.-based political website The Recount, was arrested on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 on charges related to the possession and dissemination of child pornography. Sohmer pleaded not guilty.

Reportedly, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip about explicit content ultimately traced to Sohmer’s IP address. NewsNation reported that explicit messages were also sent between Sohmer and an unnamed individual on Telegram and Snapchat referencing the sexual assault and abuse of children. According to the investigation, some of the content found may have been produced by Sohmer, and minors as young as three or four years old were depicted.

Sohmer was taken into custody at his home in Otis, Massachusetts, and as of this report, he was released on $100,000 bail, ordered to avoid minors, remain in contact with a parole officer, and stay off the internet. If convicted on all charges, Sohmer could spend at least 15 years in prison.

Sohmer was editor-in-chief at The Recount for four years before he was fired about a month before his arrest, Fox News reported.

Massachusetts Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey called Sohmer’s case among the most “egregious” of its kind she’d ever seen, the New York Post reported.

Sohmer is a former camp counselor

Reportedly, Slade Sohmer was a former camp counselor, and co-director of Camp Power in New York state, serving underprivileged children. After his arrest, Buzzfeed also removed a 2018 article featuring Sohmer entitled, “People Are Touched By This Writer’s Conversation With A Bunch Of Fourth Graders.“

Reportedly, more than a thousand pictures and videos depicting child sex abuse have so far been linked to Sohmer, and messages allegedly sent and received by Sohmer deal with child abduction and rape. In one clip, Sohmer is pictured instructing a minor in a sex act. Telegram and Snapchat messages connected with Sohmer on the Telegram App date back to 2021.

As well as The Recount, Sohmer has worked in the past for Mic and SiriusXM radio, among other outlets. In a statement to the New York Post, The Recount said Sohmer was let go as part of a restructure focused on “editorial and commercial plans.” It’s been widely reported that Sohmer may face additional charges once the investigation has concluded, and once all the children depicted are identified.

If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.