Norwich student charged with possessing child pornography
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By Peter Hirschfeld Times Argus Staff - Published: March 8, 2005
BARRE – A Norwich University student could spend up to seven years in jail for downloading explicit images of young children engaged in sex acts.
Morgan Redes, a 19-year-old Browns Mills, N.J., resident, was charged Feb. 24 in Vermont District Court after an investigation by Northfield police found the illegal pictures on his computer, according to police. He has been charged with one misdemeanor and one felony count of possession of child pornography.
Northfield police began their investigation after Redes' roommate discovered pictures of naked 2- to 3-year-old children on Redes' computer, according to sworn police testimony. Michael Moritz, a cadet at Norwich who was using Redes' computer after his own broke, alerted Norwich administration, who then contacted the local police department.
Court documents say that Redes initially told Northfield police he didn't know how the pictures got on his computer and that he had "been having some problems getting weird files."
Redes consented to a search of his computer and upon further interrogation admitted to downloading and storing child pornography, police said. He told police he had been downloading the illegal material for more than a year and said he had "a problem," according to documents. Redes also asked that a church pastor be present during his interview with Northfield Police Chief Jeff Shaw.
Among the illegal files were pictures and movies of girls as young as 7 having sex with older men, documents said. Shaw said the Redes' case was the third child pornography case his department has investigated.
"It sickens me to see a 5-year-old girl having sex with an adult," Shaw said. "I'm glad other folks don't have to look at this, because it is a hard thing to look at."
Redes computer was seized and sent to the Vermont Crime Lab for a more comprehensive forensic analysis. Shaw said law enforcement authorities use numerous investigative techniques to determine whether a computer file was obtained inadvertently or deliberately.
Ellen Kryger, Washington County Deputy State's Attorney, said that although both charges stem from possession of child pornography, the nature of the images determines the severity of the charge. Pictures depicting "lewd exhibition" of a child's genitals carry a two-year maximum; pictures depicting sex acts warrant the possible five-year felony charge.
"Possession of these images is not, in my opinion, a victimless crime," Kryger said Monday. "These are real children. Somebody created these images. Creating a market for it is certainly not a victimless crime."
Redes is free on conditions that he not have unsupervised contact with children under 16 and that he not have access to the Internet.
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