Ex-EMT charged with molesting children faces new charges of manufacturing sex abuse images

BRENTWOOD — A former Kensington EMT who was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse images in March and is awaiting trial on charges that he drugged and sexually abused three children is facing new charges.

Todd Burnim, 56, was indicted this month on two counts of manufacturing sexual abuse images. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison on each count.

The latest indictments are on top of 26 additional counts of possession of child sex abuse images that were handed up by a Rockingham County grand jury in March — the same month he was convicted by a jury of 15 counts of the same charge.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt or innocence; it means a grand jury found enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Burnim is scheduled to be sentenced on the 15 counts of possessing child sex abuse images on May 31. He is also awaiting trial on 12 aggravated felonious sexual assault counts and two felonious sexual assault charges police say he committed against three minors under the age of 13 between 2012 and 2019.

The latest indictments allege that Burnim, between December 2017 and January 2018, "created or manufactured a visual representation" of a female child under the age of 18 engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Both manufacturing of sex abuse images indictments involve the same victim, according to authorities.

Police have previously said the images were discovered on his computer and other devices during a police investigation into the abuse charges.

More than 800 images were found, according to court documents. Five images were also found on a mobile phone and another five on external drives. A large portion of the images, according to court documents, contained sexual abuse committed against infants and toddlers. There were also a number of images of an adult engaged in sexual acts with a female child or female children.

Burnim has been incarcerated since his arrest in January 2022 after a two-hour standoff with police.

Judge David Ruoff denied a bail request in April 2022, noting that the "nature of the offenses are very serious and involve multiple victims- perhaps hundreds. The likelihood of more charges is certain — all of which point to alarming and sexually deviant behavior."

Burnim worked as an EMT for Kensington and East Kingston fire departments as well as for Action Ambulance Service, according to the Kensington police.

Police searched his home, and a forensic examination of the electronic devices seized revealed child sex abuse images on a hard drive of his desktop computer.

The sexual abuse images case was separated from the sex abuse charges after Burnim’s attorney, at the time, successfully argued they were unrelated to the three victims.

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Ex-EMT still faces trial for sexually assaulting three children

Burnim is scheduled to go to trial in July on the aggravated felonious sexual assault charges.

According to court documents, he is accused of sexually abusing one child from the age of 6 to 12 years old and another from age 9 to 12. A third child was sexually abused in 2017 for a period of a few weeks, according to police.

Kensington Police Chief Scott Cain previously said that based on the evidence they found during the investigation, police believe Burnim drugged his victims before engaging in criminal sexual behavior.

According to court documents, one child described Burnim giving her "green liquid from a syringe" that tasted like an apple as well as a small white pill that would make her sleepy before the alleged assaults.

Another child said Burnim gave her sips of green liquid that tasted like apples and "gas that came in a white package and looked like whipped cream but wasn't whipped cream."

"The defendant would make (the alleged victim) wear an oxygen mask and administer the gas into the mask while she was wearing it," stated Rockingham County Attorney Pat Conway in court documents. "After inhaling the gas and drinking the liquid, (she) would become dizzy and sometimes pass out. (She) remembers waking up undressed and having no idea how she became undressed."

Court documents state that police executed a search warrant and found white pills in a clear plastic baggie in his kitchen, as well as bottles of medicine and pills in a safe inside the closet of the master bedroom. They also recovered two syringes from the nightstand in Burnim's bedroom and multiple boxes of whipped cream aerosol-nitrous oxide canisters, commonly known as "whippets."

Also seized in the search were sex toys, a digital camera, multiple cell phones, multiple hard drives, a laptop and a desktop computer.

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Burnim to be sentenced on first round of sex abuse images charges

Burnim is scheduled to be sentenced on 15 counts of possession of child sex abuse images on May 31.He faces 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison on each count.

In her closing argument in that case, Rockingham County Attorney Conway Pat Conway highlighted the seriousness of the crimes. She noted that regardless of the context, every time one of these images is viewed, the child within is further victimized. She also vowed in a press release after the verdict that the county attorney's office, in collaboration with state and local police, will continue to prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law.

Burnim is scheduled to be arraigned on the new 26 charges of possession of child sexual abuse images and two counts of manufacturing child sexual abuse images on April 24.

If you need help

Seacoast Media Group provides the following information as a public service when reporting on cases of alleged sexual violence:

Haven is a violence prevention and support service for men, women and children affected by domestic and sexual violence. Haven’s 24-hour hotline is 1-603-994-SAFE (7233). This is a confidential crisis support line in the Seacoast and Rochester region staffed by trained advocates. Information: havennh.org

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Ex-EMT charged with molesting children faces new charges