Child Pornography Arrest
Newport Police Dept. - 01/30/19
On January 28, 2019, Newport Officers responded to the Starbucks on a report of a cell phone that had been found in the public bathroom. The complainant, who located the phone, described seeing images on it which were consistent with being child pornography. An additional witness at the location described the man who left the phone.
While the Newport Officer was on scene, 48 year MARTIN LAFEVER a local transient of Newport, who matched the witness description, entered the building and asked Starbucks staff about the cell phone he had lost in the bathroom. Employees then pointed LAFEVER out to the Newport Officer. The Officer contacted LAFEVER who verified it was indeed his phone that had been located in the bathroom. LAFEVER claimed the phone was exclusively in his possession for the past several weeks. When first asked, LAFEVER denied any knowledge of images of children on his phone.
LAFEVER consented to a search of his phone. During the search, images depicting child pornography and internet search terms relating to child pornography were located. LAFEVER admitted to using the internet search terms but denied any knowledge of the images. Further search revealed more images and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child. LAFEVER then admitted having the images on his phone, but stated some of the images had loaded and saved themselves on his phone. Officers were able to show the images had been downloaded and moved between locations on the phone and the “cloud.”
LAVFEVER was lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on nine (9) counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse. His bail was set at $450,000.
The Newport Police Department wants to thank our citizens for reporting this incident and potentially preventing a more dangerous situation. The Newport Police Tip Line is available at 541-574-5455, or Text-a-Tip at 541-270-1856. If you have any information regarding this case, contact Officer Bales or Detective France at the Newport Police Department at 541-574-3348.
On January 28, 2019, Newport Officers responded to the Starbucks on a report of a cell phone that had been found in the public bathroom. The complainant, who located the phone, described seeing images on it which were consistent with being child pornography. An additional witness at the location described the man who left the phone.
While the Newport Officer was on scene, 48 year MARTIN LAFEVER a local transient of Newport, who matched the witness description, entered the building and asked Starbucks staff about the cell phone he had lost in the bathroom. Employees then pointed LAFEVER out to the Newport Officer. The Officer contacted LAFEVER who verified it was indeed his phone that had been located in the bathroom. LAFEVER claimed the phone was exclusively in his possession for the past several weeks. When first asked, LAFEVER denied any knowledge of images of children on his phone.
LAFEVER consented to a search of his phone. During the search, images depicting child pornography and internet search terms relating to child pornography were located. LAFEVER admitted to using the internet search terms but denied any knowledge of the images. Further search revealed more images and videos depicting sexually explicit conduct of a child. LAFEVER then admitted having the images on his phone, but stated some of the images had loaded and saved themselves on his phone. Officers were able to show the images had been downloaded and moved between locations on the phone and the “cloud.”
LAVFEVER was lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on nine (9) counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse. His bail was set at $450,000.
The Newport Police Department wants to thank our citizens for reporting this incident and potentially preventing a more dangerous situation. The Newport Police Tip Line is available at 541-574-5455, or Text-a-Tip at 541-270-1856. If you have any information regarding this case, contact Officer Bales or Detective France at the Newport Police Department at 541-574-3348.
Comments
Post a Comment