Two Missourians arrested for child pornography
The Internet Task Force covers six counties, including Boone.
Published Sept. 29, 2009
This past week saw two child pornography arrests led by the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force.
Task Force Coordinator Detective Andy Anderson said child pornography crimes are increasing due to progress in technology.
"As technology develops, people who have the propensity for child pornography are realizing that it's easier to get a hold of," Anderson said.
The way child pornography cases are investigated depends on the nature of the content, how it is being distributed and whether the suspect is involved in production or distribution specifically, Anderson said.
"The vast majority of cases we get are from file sharing programs like LimeWire or BearShare," Anderson said.
The Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force was established to prevent Internet crimes, such as child pornography. The task force services six counties, including Boone, and works with law-enforcement agencies in the mid-Missouri area to fight Internet crimes, according to the Task Force Web site.
One of the two arrests this week took place in north central Columbia. Jason D. Allen, 23, was arrested on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography, a task force news release stated. The investigation indicated Allen was able to distribute the files via an unsecured wireless access point of an unsuspecting neighbor.
"Anytime you have an unsecured access port, it allows people to use your network without your authorization to get Internet access or commit crimes," Anderson said.
People use access of neighbors' unprotected ports, resulting in a variety of crimes including pornography, child enticement and drugs, Anderson said.
Examiners found approximately 37 movie files that depicted the sexual molestation of children, some thought to be as young as 4 years old, the news release stated.
According to a separate task force news release, the second arrest involved David Sachs, 22, a Webster Groves resident who had moved to Columbia. Upon examination, at least 80 videos depicting sexual molestation of children, many who were prepubescent, were found on his computer.
When investigating Internet, the task force does not work alone. They cooperate with other departments such as the Columbia Police Department.
"If we were to receive a report (of child pornography), it would be forwarded to our investigative unit and then determined whether it would be handled by us or by the Task Force," CPD spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
Detective Mike Lederle is the liaison between CPD and the task force.
"There are two ways a (child pornography) case may get to task force," Lederle said. "One mechanism is to be referred by another agency, CPD is a member of the Task Force."
The other means by which the task force takes on a case is by actively pursuing criminals through their own investigatory means, Lederle said.
"Task forces across Missouri investigate crimes against children over the Internet by doing investigations, not just complaint-driven but active and undercover," Anderson said.
This spike in mid-Missouri's Internet crimes against children comes right before Mizzou Empathy Week. This event is sponsored by iEmpathize, a non-profit to raise awareness and fight injustice, most specifically child sex trafficking. The organization looks to fight injustices against children.