Posted on 11/01/2003 7:08:22 AM PST by ValerieUSA
SPOKANE -- An Okanogan County deputy prosecutor who handled child pornography cases has pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing his own private stash of child pornography.
Ralph L. Perkins, 54, admitted in court documents that he got hooked on child porn while researching the topic as part of his job prosecuting people for the crime.
"His initial research turned into sexual gratification, and less than half of the pornography on his computers was work related," court documents said.
An examination of Perkins' computers turned up more than 10 images of children younger than 12 involved in sexually explicit conduct, the documents said.
Perkins is also a former Pend Oreille County District Court judge.
He faces a prison term and the potential loss of his law license when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle in Spokane on Jan. 22.
Perkins pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single count of possessing child pornography.
Perkins was allowed to remain out of jail without bond. But he is not allowed to use computers or access the Internet.
He was indicted on the federal charges after sheriff's deputies found a collection of child pornography during a search of his home in May. Deputies responded to the home in Okanogan after Perkins' wife said she had been raped.
The woman led deputies to the computerized collection of pornography.
A sexual assault charge was not filed against Perkins.
He resigned from his $62,376 job as a deputy prosecutor in Okanogan County on June 30.
I hope they put him in the general population at prison. I doubt that other criminals will like a prosecutor and it is my understanding that even a criminal thinks lowly of a pedaphile.
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