Two men arrested for child pornography

NEW LONDON — Sergio Antonio Avendano, 51, of El Salvador and living in New London, was arrested for a felony charge of possession of child pornography following a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
According to the criminal complaint, Meta Platforms reported that an account linked to Avendano uploaded a video in August 2025 depicting the sexual abuse of a girl estimated to be younger than eight years old.
Investigators traced a sexually explicit video sent via Facebook Messenger to his residence. The investigation, led by the New London Police Department, used IP address data and subscriber records to link the activity to a residence at W. Jennings St.
On March 26, 2026, officers executed a search warrant at the home and seized numerous digital devices, including an iPhone 17 and several older cell phones, as well as various SD cards and a laptop. Investigators also found various identifying documents for Avendano, including El Salvador passports and voided Wisconsin driver’s licenses.
Avendano claimed he was currently working at Tyson Foods, but investigators had already confirmed his employment was terminated two weeks prior.
During an interview assisted by a Spanish-language interpreter, Avendano initially denied possessing illegal material, claiming his Facebook account had been hacked by a white woman attempting to extort $50,000 from him.
During the interview, Avendano mentioned he has children ages seven and six in El Salvador with whom he conducts video calls. Investigators questioned the presence of children’s toys, dolls, and a toddler’s shoe in his home. Avendano explained that he collects these items to send to his children and nephews in El Salvador once or twice a year.
When confronted with evidence that the video was sent from his account to a specific recipient, Avendano stated he “might have shared it.”

Police tipped off again
Patrick Allen Kiernan, 54, of New London faces 32 felony counts of possession of child pornography following an investigation into illegal content uploaded to cloud storage, according to a criminal complaint filed March 24 in Waupaca County Circuit Court.
Investigators received CyberTips from the NCMEC.
The tips originated from Synchronoss Technologies, which hosts cloud storage for Verizon. Automated scans identified a video file uploaded in December 2022 and another in August 2023 containing child sexual assault material.
New London Police traced the illegal content to a phone number registered to Kiernan’s residence. On March 25, 2024, officers conducted a traffic stop on Kiernan as he left for work. During the stop, Staff Sgt. Nicholas Kamba observed an unlocked phone on the dashboard. Kiernan was taken into custody, and a subsequent forensic search of the device—authorized by a warrant—uncovered dozens of illicit images.
Investigators reported finding 32 specific images of prepubescent and toddler-aged children in various states of undress or engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The digital forensics unit also identified more than 16,000 “files of interest” featuring children in gymnastics or swimsuits, along with search terms including “pedo,” “lolita,” and various age-specific keywords.
For child pornography, each count carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Under Wisconsin law, a conviction also requires a mandatory $500 surcharge per image and a bifurcated sentence with at least three years of initial confinement.