Posted: 2:01 p.m. CDT June 24, 2003
http://www.clickonsa.com/ant/news/stories/news-229078420030624-140609.html SAN ANTONIO -- Jury selection started Tuesday in the trial of a 33-year-old man who took nude pictures of a 16-year-old boy on the River Walk.
Benito Tovar (pictured, left) is charged with inducing sexual performance of a child and possession of child pornography.
Tovar argues he was simply performing art when he took the pictures of the teenage boy in the King William section of the River Walk last fall. Police found pictures of the boy in Tovar's possession when he was arrested.
The defendant claimed he didn't know his subject was a teenager and wanted the boy in his photo shoot to establish a male presence to his portfolio.
According to Tovar, he met the boy on a bus and was supposed to meet several other people at the River Walk, but the boy was the only one who showed up.
A jury pool is expected to be filled Tuesday and testimony is scheduled to begin later Tuesday afternoon.
If Tovar is found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.