Child Porn Bust

SALT LAKE CITY -- An image of a towering column of smut was relayed during a news conference Thursday afternoon in order to give perspective to the scope and breadth of Operation Frosty Lime Squeeze. The operation was a coordinated effort during March between the state's Internet Crimes Against Children task force and 37 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

In Utah County alone, authorities arrested 11 suspected perpetrators, more than any other county in the state. Utah County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Brower did not know why Utah County had more arrests, but said local investigators worked extra hard during the operation.

"In Utah County we were just able to put some extra focus on proactive work," Brower said. "We had several investigators who were very passionate about the work and about stopping these individuals."

During the conference, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff revealed that the operation -- which is named for it's effort to "squeeze" those accessing child pornography on the FrostWire and LimeWire peer-to-peer networks -- netted 39 arrests. Officials also served 52 home search warrants and 39 computer search warrants, and seized 124 computers, 118 external hard drives, 31 cell phones, five Xbox game consoles and more than 1,000 CDs and DVDs.
More sobering still, Shurtleff said that if a person spent eight hours a day downloading and viewing the confiscated child pornography it would occupy 55 years of that person's life.

ICAC field commander Lt. Jessica Farnsworth said the individuals arrested as part of the operation come from all walks of society. She described them as doctors, teachers, construction workers and fathers, among other things. But most of all, she stressed, many of those arrested held positions of trust and had contact with children.

"No one suspected these perpetrators lived these secret dual lives," Farnsworth said.
Shurtleff characterized the consumption of child pornography as an addiction that can never be cured, only controlled. He added that the penalties for involvement in child pornography may be too lenient.

"Pedophiles spend way too little time behind bars," he said.

Among those arrested, materials released after the news conference highlighted two Utah County suspects. The first, 37-year-old Jeremy Hanks, is described as a convicted serial rapist who was released from prison in November. Investigators reportedly found child pornography on an array of electronic devices at Hanks's Pleasant Grove home, and he now faces federal charges.

Brendon Morrey, 26, also was singled out in the news release for both downloading and manufacturing child pornography. He is suspected of sexually abusing at least one child.
Other Utah County suspects arrested during the operation include Adam Kuntz, 33; Coltin MacKey, 21; Victor Karcich, 33; Matthew Hall, 26; and Ephraim Smith, 30. One juvenile also was arrested, and Brower said other investigations are ongoing.

Authorities Thursday did not reveal details about investigative techniques, but Farnsworth said that the investigation focused on finding suspects who were interacting with each other online.
"It is kind of a ripple effect," she explained. "Sex offenders tend to hang out with other sex offenders. So with the development of the Internet it has created the opportunity for people to talk to each other in groups."

Farnsworth said that the operation was about seeking out predators before they committed further crimes. Those who view child pornography often eventually try to act out their fantasies, she said, leading them to molest children.

Brower said that he hopes the operation sends a message to those involved with child pornography that they will be discovered.

"I would hope that those who download and share and manufacture child pornography understand that they are being monitored and that we will come after them," Brower said.