Police: Burlington man sexually exploited girls

A man accused this week of sex crimes following a raid on his home near a Burlington school has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.

Raymond Edwards, 39, was ordered held without bail at his arraignment late Thursday afternoon in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington. He faces two counts of felony sexual assault on a victim less than 16 years old, felony possession of child pornography and misdemeanor voyeurism.

Police claim Edwards sexually assaulted a teenage girl in his home, used a hidden camera to film girls and had in his possession thousands of other sexually explicit images of teenagers, infants and toddlers.

Earlier this month, a mental health counselor contacted the Department for Children and Families after hearing allegations about hidden cameras in Edwards' home on North Avenue. An underage girl said she saw the cameras inside the home this summer, according to court records.

The North Avenue home is located yards from Hunt Middle School.

Edwards admitted placing cameras in a bathroom and bedroom to film girls while they showered and changed clothing, downloading the videos and possessing other images, court records stated.

He also admitted assaulting one of the girls while she slept on two occasions.

When interviewed by authorities, a witness said one of the victims described a clock in the bathroom she thought was "weird" and believed it contained a video camera, and thought there was one in a bedroom, also. Edwards brushed aside the concerns when asked, according to court records.

Others living in the home also discovered the cameras, court records stated.

One witness told the police that Edwards was a "computer and software whiz."

The Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force responded to Edwards' home Thursday morning with a search warrant. Investigators seized computers, laptop computers and other digital storage devices, according to court records.

A search of one of Edwards' computer hard drives uncovered a folder containing 1,123 images of infant and toddler pornography, according to court records.

Edwards later told Burlington detectives he placed the clock in his bathroom, but he denied knowing there was a camera inside when the clock was installed, according to the authorities. He claimed others in the home were responsible for filming. He later admitted to viewing the videos and said he purchased the clock knowing it was a camera, court documents state.

Asked about webcams in a bedroom, Edwards claimed they were installed to ensure other residents were not stealing from him, according to court records.

Court records also explained that Edwards admitted to assaulting and photographing one of the girls while she slept.

Edwards is currently being held without bail at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town. A bail review hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.

Contact Jessie Forand at jforand@freepressmedia.com and 651-4859.