COLORADO SPRINGS - It's a crime that victimizes children and it happens thousands of times a day with the click of a button. We first told you about this story last week when police raided a house in Monument. Now police are up to 15 arrests -- the released list of those arrested can be found on the bottom of this article.
Investigators say they're all men who now face felony charges of sexually exploiting children. "People have a tendency to think it's just a video, it's just a picture," says Sgt. Bill Dehart with the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at the Colorado Springs Police Department, "the reality is that's a child being abused."
In a week's time, police executed several search warrants at homes across southern Colorado. "We're actually doing onsite forensic examinations, recovering databases," says Dehart of what officers are collecting. It's all part of an extensive investigation called Operation Peerless Summer, referencing the peer-to-peer online networks where people are trading child porn.
"If you're sharing those images, those videos on their computer, anyone can find them," says Dehart. Investigators say the ultimate goal is to put a stop to the production of child porn. They've found no evidence yet of children being abused locally.
"We're talking about protecting children," Dehart says. Investigators say they expect additional arrests and say people who commit Internet child porn crimes could be anywhere. Investigators say telling people the crime is happening is part of the battle to stop it.
"The word is getting out," says Dehart, "we're talking about people actively trading child pornography and it's not something people should do." But people are doing and after so many arrests, officers say the crime crosses geographical and socioeconomic boundaries.
"There is no profile where this person is the one, we need to look at," Dehart says. Investigators say they know where to look and how to find out who's trading child pornography online. They say you should be just as aware of what's arriving on your computer.
"You suspect somebody has these images on a computer, it's the old adage, you'll know it when you see it," says Dehart. Investigators say many of the offenders have several hundred images on their hard drives. "You're looking at the memorialization of abuse and it's illegal to possess," says Dehart of online child porn.
Investigators say it's important to talk with your kids about what's appropriate and what's not online to make sure your children don't become victims.
David Aardal
Aardal, David, Age 70 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrested 06-11-09
Michael Bunte
Bunte, Michael, Age 24 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrested 06-15-09
Andrew Evans
Evans, Andrew, (US Air Force) Sexual Exploitation of Children
Kevin Gauthier
Gauthier, Kevin, Age 48 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrested 06-17-09
Aaron Holt
Holt, Aaron Age 24 Sexual Exploitation of Children, arrested 06-10-09
http://www.myspace.com/cali2005soldier
Frank McCrea
McCrea, Frank, Age 20 Sexual Exploitation of Children, Arrested 06-15-09
Charles Osborn
Osborn, Charles, Age 48 Sexual Exploitation of Children - registered sex offender, arrested 06-12-09
John Hass Jr.
Hass, John, Age 29 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrested 06-18-09
http://www.myspace.com/singledaddy001
James Wardwell
Wardwell, James, Age 66 Sexual Exploitation of Children - registered sex offender arrested 06-12-09
Ryan Walker
Walker, Ryan, Age 18 Sexual Exploitation of Children, arrested 06-11-09
Phillip Sheffield
Sheffield, Phillip, Age 18 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrested 06-17-09
Stephen Skelly
Skelly, Stephen Age 24 Sexual Exploitation of Children arrest date 06-17-09
David Alan
Alan, David, (US Army) Sexual Exploitation of Children, arrested 06-15-09
Nicholas Beach
Beach, Nicholas, (US Army) Sexual Exploitation of Children, arrested 06-10-09
http://www.myspace.com/armyboy21
Kyle Mcguire
Mcguire, Kyle, (US Army) Sexual Exploitation of Children, arrested on 06-10-09
http://www.myspace.com/deamon_in_life