STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – A former Stillwater daycare employee is accused of committing child sex crimes.
Savannah Noel Hawthorne, 22, was arrested on suspicion of distribution of child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to Stillwater Police Department officials.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) sent a cyber tip to a Stillwater police detective on Nov. 2, 2021.
The tip said that Twitter personnel found child pornography on their network.
“Some of the information received from Twitter indicated the suspect had possession of child pornography and was actively soliciting buyers for distribution,” Stillwater police officials said..
The detective, who works as a cross-commissioned member of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (OSBI ICAC), investigated the tip and identified the suspect as Hawthorne, an Enid, Okla., resident who previously lived in Stillwater.
Hawthorne worked in a daycare facility while living in Stillwater.
The detective coordinated with the Payne County District Attorney’s Office to obtain a warrant to arrest Hawthorne.
Authorities executed a search warrant on Hawthorne’s Enid home on June 3 and confiscated multiple items as evidence. They then took her into custody and booked her into the Payne County Detention Center.
Investigators contacted the Stillwater daycare Hawthorne previously worked at, and the administrators of the daycare are cooperating with the investigation, according to Stillwater police.
“Parents and legal guardians of the children who were under the care of Hawthorne have been alerted,” Stillwater police said. “The possibility of harm to any children at the facility is being thoroughly investigated.”
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who has information on Hawthorne or her activities is asked to call the Stillwater Police Department’s tip line, (405) 742-8237.
