Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 68-year-old Lindenhurst man was arrested Thursday morning after Suffolk County Police detectives executed a search warrant at his home and seized multiple electronic devices containing more than 1,000 child sex abuse images, according to an official press release from the Suffolk County Police Department.
Richard Enstad, 68, was taken into custody at his residence at 372 Gates Ave. in Lindenhurst at approximately 7:25 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, 2026. The warrant was executed by detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department’s Digital Forensics Unit following an investigation that was set in motion by a tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, per the Suffolk County Police Department press release.
During the search of the Gates Avenue home, detectives seized multiple electronic devices. Those devices, when examined, were found to contain more than 1,000 images of child sex abuse material, police said. The precise nature and format of those devices — whether smartphones, computers, tablets, or external storage — were not specified in the initial press release; those details remain limited pending further disclosure by investigators.
Enstad was charged with Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. Under New York Penal Law, this charge can apply to the possession, distribution, or promotion of material depicting a sexual performance by a minor. Whether Enstad faces a single count or multiple counts, and the specific degree of the charge, police have not yet confirmed in the initial release.
No additional suspects were named in the press release, and it has not been confirmed whether other individuals were present at the Gates Avenue residence at the time of the warrant’s execution. Those details remain limited as the investigation is ongoing.
Location & Road Context
The arrest occurred at 372 Gates Ave. in Lindenhurst, a densely populated hamlet located within the Town of Babylon in western Suffolk County. Lindenhurst sits south of Sunrise Highway (NY-27) and is bounded to the south by the Great South Bay. Gates Avenue is a residential street in the community, and the address in question is a private residence. Because this incident is not traffic-related, no road closure or traffic impact was associated with the warrant execution. Suffolk County Police have recorded 501 incidents in their jurisdiction so far this year, reflecting the department’s broad public safety mandate across the region.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The investigation leading to Thursday’s arrest was initiated through the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a nationally coordinated initiative backed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ICAC task forces work with local, state, and federal partners to identify online predators and those who traffic in child sexual abuse material. The tip passed to Suffolk County Police prompted the department’s Digital Forensics Unit — a specialized division equipped to examine and analyze electronic devices — to open its investigation before ultimately seeking and obtaining a search warrant for the Lindenhurst home.
Enstad was charged with Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child under New York Penal Law § 263.15, which is classified as a Class D felony, or § 263.11 (Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child), which is a Class E felony — the precise degree applicable to Enstad’s case has not yet been confirmed by police in their initial release. Under New York State law, a conviction on a Class D felony related to child sexual abuse material can carry a state prison sentence and mandatory sex offender registration under the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA). Arraignment information, bail status, and the name of Enstad’s legal representation were not included in the initial press release; those details remain limited and are expected to emerge as the case moves through Suffolk County District Court.
Broader Impact
Arrests like this one illustrate the critical role of coordinated digital investigations in combating child exploitation. The ICAC Task Force’s tip-to-arrest pipeline — in which online leads are passed to local Digital Forensics Units capable of executing court-authorized searches — is the same framework that has driven hundreds of similar arrests across New York State in recent years. Under New York’s SORA, a conviction in a case involving child sexual abuse material typically triggers mandatory sex offender registration, with the registration level — and the associated community notification requirements — determined by a risk assessment conducted before sentencing. Given the volume of material alleged in this case (more than 1,000 images), prosecutors may seek a higher SORA designation, though that determination is ultimately made by the court; police have not yet confirmed what designation, if any, has been sought.