Posted on 12/10/2009 5:49:42 AM PST by markomalley
GREENVILLE For the dark, depraved nights David Chatham watched obscene images of strangers' children, he will spend the next six years in prison.
For admitting his addiction to child pornography and warning others away from his path, Chatham, 43, was spared even more time behind bars.
"He's done much to move this horrible thing we keep in secret and open it wide," Joseph Cheshire, Chatham's attorney, told the judge.
A year ago, Chatham was an ambitious executive for the Raleigh public relations firm Capstrat whose days were filled with power lunches and board meetings.
A knock on the door last December sent Chatham into a freefall. A team of detectives discovered that Chatham had been collecting child pornography, swapping videos and images with other voyeurs in Internet chatrooms.
As Chatham's world collapsed, he decided to chronicle his journey in a blog, on the radio and before medical professionals in hopes that his experience would dissuade others from making the same choices. Chatham's story was told in a News & Observer article in September.
Over the last year, Chatham sold the North Raleigh home he shared with his wife Lisa to find money for legal fees and therapy. Friends and coworkers shunned him. After he pleaded guilty in September, he began living in a tiny jail cell, free only to stretch his legs an hour or so a day.
On Thursday, Chatham was pale and frail in an orange jumpsuit, his legs shackled at his ankles. He wiped tears as he asked U.S. District Court Judge Malcolm Howard for mercy.
"I lived a lie for 43 years, and I hope I have 43 more to turn that around," Chatham told Howard.
Congress passed a law mandating that those convicted in federal court of possessing child pornography must spend at least five years in prison. Chatham possessed at least 3,400 images of child pornography. Many of the videos and pictures depicted very young children; some images were particularly violent. Under the sentencing guidelines, those factors pushed his recommended punishment to between eight and 10 years.
Howard offered some leniency, though, because of Chatham's outreach efforts since he was caught. Howard disregarded the sentencing guidelines, awarding Chatham credits which amounted to two years for his public contrition.
"Mr. Chatham's post discovery of his illness is extraordinary," Howard said.
Chatham could be sent to any federal prison, though Cheshire asked that he be sent to one of two prisons, in Butner or a facility in Massachusetts, that offer treatment for sex offenders.
Since September, Chatham has lived in solitary confinement in a local jail. Chatham had asked to be segregated, fearing he would fall victim to the wrath of other inmates who lash out at those who hurt children.
'Shame and guilt'
Chatham's days have been filled with writing and reading magazines and novels. He drafts posts for his blog (fromshame2grace) and passes them off to his wife during their 20-minute weekly visits. He studies the Bible to prep for weekly discussions with his pastor.
Chatham has taken his new reality in stride.
In a recent letter to The News & Observer, Chatham wrote: "Time has passed relatively quickly since Sept. 14. I've had a few rough days, mostly out of shame and guilt for putting Lisa and others through this, but overall I've done OK."
I'm skeptical that his preaching (ANY preaching) can stop others from that path, but there's no harm in trying.
Here is to hoping my Catholic Conservative lifestyle wont be EVER deemed level to some type of criminal/mental behaviour.
I guess the one plus is I wont procreate so I am a huge carbon savior. /sarc
Hey I hope this fellow finds a passion in say fishing or pipe fitting that just takes his mind off of his demon (s).
I will try to be more frugal just to work on my own compulsions of I want a Dutch Bros hot Cocoa or come home and heat some water and dump in the Diet Swiss Miss.
One Day At a Time.
We have heard that before. Over and Over.
OK, Howard, move him into your home. Why not let him be a NANNY? Put up or shut up.
Put this POS in with general population
Illness? Like looking at child porn is like a cold?
This is probably the third article that the N&O has written about this cretin, painting him as a victim also.
A little context..he worked for Capstrat, a well known local public relations/marketing firm known for whitewashing the sins of local dems in trouble. Also some big money donors there.
This is purely a case of the N&O circling the wagons around one of their own.
And people ask why I quit taking the paper 20 odd years ago.
“Illness? Like looking at child porn is like a cold?”
Obviously this is not an illness like a contagious disease, but is a terrible addiction probably akin to a severe drug addiction. Judge Howard, by calling it an illness, does somewhat deflect the blame away from the man, and blames the disease, and if that is what bothers you, I understand your objection, it becomes too easy to say “It’s not really my fault, I have a disease.” I don’t know if I would have offered any leniency, but I can understand why the judge would decide to do so, most of the offenders he deals with probably don’t make nearly this much effort to change their ways. Nevertheless, this man should never be trusted, he has a serious addiction that will probably stay with him for the rest of his life and could easily flare up again, regardless of whatever good intentions he may have. After he gets out of prison, he needs to do himself and society a favor by staying as far away from children as reasonably possible.
I believe this is the same fellow that Dr. Mike Adams befriended and has been writing about. Dr. Adams believes his remorse is genuine, and he’s not exactly a rainbows & unicorns sort of person, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Once he gets out of prison, hopefully he will be able to rebuild his life and do something productive to help others from taking the same path he did.
Here’s an idea. He needs to quit messing with the stuff. He’s not addicted. He just likes to do it. I doubt he is going through any serious withdrawal. He’s a pervert and he needs to get his life right.
Here’s a guy who looked at videos or pics of kids being molested and he said to himself “It’s not that bad”. That’s the problem. He fed himself a steady diet of perversion until he came to see it as “normal”.
“.he worked for Capstrat, a well known local public relations/marketing firm known for whitewashing the sins of local dems in trouble”
Hence the lack of soul in the man. He’d already sold his soul to Satan by selling evil as acceptable. It wasn’t a big stretch to roll in a pile of child porn and think that he smells like a rose.
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