Edmond police arrested a local man after they say he shared child pornography images with investigators over a peer-to-peer file sharing network.
Police say investigators with the Edmond Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) task force received files containing sexually explicit videos of girls aged 10 to 15 in January of this year.
Investigators then tracked the originating IP address to the Edmond home of Travis Wayne McFarland, 42. Officers serving a search warrant at the home say they found additional child pornography on computers inside the home. They say that when they questioned McFarland, he admitted to downloading child pornography, saying he "had a problem" and acknowledging that he "should have received help for it."
Police arrested the suspect on complaints of possession and distribution of child pornography and violation of the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.
Oklahoma has several laws against child pornography aimed to prevent and penalize the sexual exploitation of children. Section 1021.2 of the Oklahoma Criminal Code states the following:
"Any person who shall procure or cause the participation of any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years in any child pornography or who knowingly possesses, procures, or manufactures, or causes to be sold or distributed any child pornography shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than twenty (20) years or by the imposition of a fine of not more than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) or by both said fine and imprisonment. "
Section 1040.12a penalizes the possession of 100 or more images of child pornography (be they separate images or multiple copies of the same image)as aggravated possession of child pornography.
Depending on which particular statute a person is convicted under, possession of child pornography or obscene materials may be considered either a Level 1 sex offense or a Level 2 sex offense. Individuals convicted of Level 1 sex crimes must register as an Oklahoma Sex Offender for 15 years; Level 2 offenders must register for 25 years.
