According to the recent Danvers police investigation, a psychologist named Mark Ternullo has been arrested on child pornography charges after a contractor located a secret room in his apartment.
A hidden secret behind the wall
The news came as a shock for the apartment people. When they saw the images of the children, they straight away called the police. Police searched all the areas connected to the psychologist, including his office.
Officials take this instance very gravely, and now they are searching the evidence as much as possible. Mark Ternullo had been a tenant on Butler Avenue for about 23 years. And the case is confirmed by the building owner to the police that a contractor was contracted to renovate the water issue of the flat.
The contractor hired to refurbish the bathroom in 68-year-old Psychologist Mark Ternullo’s apartment in a multi-family home discovered the hidden room. As per the investigation report, the wall in the back of the bathtub had to be separated due to extensive water vandalism.
The Essex County District Attorney’s office stated in a statement Thursday that while removing the wall, the contractor found a secret room that stored different boxes full of pornographic images of children. Also, they reported nearly 1,000 images throughout the apartment, with the majority in the secret room and the home office.
Court and bail procedure
Ternullo works as a psychologist for adults, families, and children, and his office is located in Beverly. According to the people living in the apartment, Ternullo worked at various schools and community organizations in the early 2000s. Police have not revealed his family background and didn’t disclose it to the media. Investigators said that the images are Ternullo’s because he supposedly “superimposed” himself onto children in unjust and indicative positions.
Ternullo was accused with one count of ownership of child pornography during his indictment in Salem District Court. He pleaded not guilty to the allegation in court. The DA appealed a $500,000 cash bail and that Ternullo persists under house arrest with a GPS monitoring device, remains away from and has no contact with children under 18, and does not use the internet if he posts bail.
According to the DA’s office, Judge Randy Chapman set bail at $10,000 and inflicted the constraints appealed by the Commonwealth. As per the sources, a pre-trial discussion is planned for March 7.
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