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Medford man pleads guilty in child porn Internet trafficking grows with increased access By Chris Bristol In a dubious first for the Rogue Valley, a young Medford man has been convicted of a felony for downloading child pornography off the Internet. Local authorities predict he won�t be the last. "It�s a lot more prevalent than you�d think," explained Detective Randy Becker, an Oregon State Police computer-crime expert. "It used to be difficult to obtain child porn. Now (with the Internet) it�s a lot easier." The law says ORS 163.689 � Possession of materials depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child in the second degree . (1) A person commits the crime ... if the person: (a) Knowingly possesses any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child or any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct that appears to involve a child; and (b) Intends to use the visual depiction to induce a child to participate or engage in sexually explicit conduct. (2) Possession of materials depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child in the second degree is a Class C felony. {1997} "Child" means a person who is less than 18 years of age. "Visual depiction" includes, but is not limited to, photographs, films, videotapes, pictures or computer or computer-generated images or pictures, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical or other means. Prosecutors said the 17-year-old defendant � now 20 � was busted after a family member tipped off police, who seized his computer and found more than 1,000 images depicting children as young as 6 or 7 engaged in various sexual acts with other children and adults. "They were in sexual acts," not simply nude, prosecutor Judi Harper said. "It was just foul." The defendant pleaded guilty Tuesday to a Class C felony � second-degree possession of materials depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child. The category was designed to curb Internet-related crime based on Oregon legislation passed in 1997. Jackson County Judge Dan Harris deferred sentencing to a later date, pending a pre-sentence investigation. In a deal with the prosecution, the defendant will likely get probation. His case may have been a first for Jackson County, but it�s not the first for state police in Southern Oregon. Last year OSP referred 12 cases for prosecution involving computer evidence of child porn, and eight more have been opened so far this year. Becker, responsible for seven southwestern Oregon counties, is one of only four OSP forensic technicians statewide who specialize in computer crime. He and other experts say the Internet has become a conduit for pornography. "Even the most casual user accidentally runs across it every now and then," said Becker, who is stationed at OSP district headquarters in Central Point. "Certainly adult porn is all over the place. It�s like the No. 1 business on the Internet." A few use the Net to peddle illegal porn. Typically they use chat rooms and bulletin boards to form clandestine groups that trade images via e-mail. In 1998, police found 57 sexually explicit images of boys and girls on the computer of a Grants Pass teenager who raped and strangled a 5-year-old girl he was baby-sitting. David Case, then 17, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. "Most people that are into adult porn don�t want anything to do with child porn and they just erase it," Becker said. "The people that are getting prosecuted are out seeking child porn. Just by the way people handle their downloads, we can pretty much tell if we�ve got an accidental-download type of thing or if their interest lies in child porn." "If we go in there and it�s obvious they�re not into child porn (because) there�s just not much there, you�re not going to get prosecuted. The people that we�re going after have hundreds of pictures, thousands of pictures." The defendant in Tuesday�s case was originally indicted on five counts of encouraging child sexual abuse, an older Oregon statute that predates the popularity of the Internet. Lawmakers updated the law in 1997 to include computers as a form of recording or obtaining child porn. By pleading to the newer possession charge, the defendant won�t have to register as a sex offender � an outcome the prosecutors believe is appropriate given his age and lack of prior criminal history. There was one hitch, however. The possession charge includes language describing a defendant�s intent to use illegal porn to "induce a child to participate or engage in sexually explicit conduct." In court Tuesday, defense attorney Jeni Feinberg read a statement on her client�s behalf denying that there was any such intent. Prosecutors, with the court�s blessing, agreed to the statement. Under teams of the deal, the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor if the defendant successfully completes treatment and probation . Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA