Tonawanda man arrested for child sex crimes, possession of illegal assault weapons

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Tonawanda man was arrested Wednesday and charged with child sex crimes as well as possessing over a dozen illegal assault weapons, New York State Police announced.

An internet crimes against children investigation in the Town of Tonawanda determined that 37-year-old John R. Yungbluth allegedly possessed child pornography, police said.

A search warrant was later executed at a Tonawanda residence, and over 30 pieces of computer evidence that will be examined for child pornography were recovered, according to police. Additionally, 13 unregistered assault weapons that were allegedly unlawfully possessed were recovered. Over 85 large-capacity ammunition feeding devices were also recovered.

Yungbluth has a valid New York State pistol permit with multiple handguns registered to him, however, he was allegedly found to also have two handguns not registered in New York, according to police.

Youngbluth was charged with:

  • Possessing a sexual performance by a child

  • First-degree criminal possession of a weapon (possession of over 10 assault weapons)

  • Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (possession of two unregistered/loaded firearms)

  • Third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (possession of large capacity ammunition feeding device)

He was arraigned and bail was set at $25,000 or $50,000 bond.

Latest Local News

New real estate rules come into effect after $418M settlement

Road closure in Amherst starts Monday

Top Take 5 ticket worth over $17K sold in Cheektowaga

Woman killed in crash on Creek Road in Batavia

$120K in damages estimated from fire on Riley Street

Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the WIVB News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.