SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - 39 men were arrested in Operation Frosty Lime Squeeze. The Utah Attorney General says law enforcement officers collected enough images of child porn, that if they were stacked one on top of the other, they would rise nearly 2000 miles high. This is the largest sweep of this kind in state history. Agents tracked down men who were collecting and sharing child pornography as well as taking the photos.
Investigators say these men blend easily into communities. They are often in positions of leadership with children. They say the men generally hand pick their victims, then establish close relationships with them known as the grooming period.
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says, "these days with the ability of these guys to not have to come out in public to create and share images, it's easy for them to get themselves into positions to work with with children."
The investigation also resulted in the the seizure of a staggering amount of images of children being sexually abused.
Dubbed "Operation FrostyLime Squeeze," the investigation was overseen by the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with extensive participation from 37 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
The operation lasted from February 28 until March 31 but some of the investigations began before the arrests were made.
Here is the operation, by the numbers, as released by the AG's office:
- 39 individuals arrested, 31 additional investigations and 114 people notified they are under investigation.
- 52 home and 39 computer search warrants executed.
- 124 computers, 118 external hard drives, 31 cell phones, 5 Xbox game consoles and more than 1,000 CDs/DVDs seized.
"If a person spent eight hours a day, in chunks of 15 seconds downloading and viewing
each image seized during this operation, the person would be viewing child pornography nonstop
for 55 years,” says Ken Wallentine, Director of Law Enforcement for the Attorney General’s
Office. “We could probably add a few more years for all of the images found on cell phones and
Xboxes.”
The AG's office singled out some of the suspects, including Jeremy Hanks, who is a convicted serial rapist who was released November 2010 after serving about 15 years in prison. Hanks is now facing federal charges after investigators seized four computers, three cell phones, four hard drives and ten memory storage devices with child pornography at his Pleasant Grove home. Two other adults were arrested for drugs and child endangerment.
Brian Christensen was also featured in the AG's report. Christensen is serving a federal prison sentence for production and possession of child pornography. He is now charged with five counts of object rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child---all first degree felonies.
Others mentioned were:
-D. Chris Robertson was charged with possession of child pornography and sentenced to federal prison but he only received two days in jail and six months home confinement. Robertson is now facing 20 state felony counts of possession of child pornography. If convicted, prosecutors will request a substantial amount of incarceration.
- Brendon Morrey was allegedly downloading and manufacturing child pornography for others to see. Morrey is accused of sexually abusing at least one child and he is being held in the Utah County Jail with a cash bail of $110,000.
Here is the complete list of people arrested during Operation FrostyLime Squeeze:
CACHE COUNTY
- Jeremy Ballard DOB 08/3/77, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Walter Simmons DOB 11/12/88, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Chad Harris DOB 01/17/83, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Taner Atwood DOB 10/1/90, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Trevor Gilmour DOB 03/11/92, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Juan Gonzalez DOB 12/22/88, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- 1 Juvenile, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
DAVIS COUNTY
- Chase Richins DOB 2/26/1984, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- Dallin Ellis DOB 2/10/91, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- Brian Craig Christensen DOB 11/27/77, 5 Cts. Object Rape of a Child, 1st Degree Felonies, 3 Cts. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, 1st Degree Felonies
DUCHESNE COUNTY
- Duane Bird DOB 2-5-77, 43 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
SALT LAKE COUNTY
- Scott L. Adams DOB 7/7/1975, 2 Cts. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, 1st Degree Felonies,
- 1 Ct. Dealing in Material Harmful to a Minor, 3rd Degree Felony
- Anthony Davis DOB 2/3/80, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- D. Chris Robertson DOB 10/7/50, 20 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- David Schoonover DOB 12/31/68, 5 Cts. Dealing in Material Harmful to a Minor, 3rd Degree Felonies, 2 Cts. Enticing a Minor, Class A Misdemeanors, 1 Ct. Enticing a Minor, Class B Misdemeanor
- Douglas Everett Premo DOB 6/20/57, 20 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- Gary Corkins DOB 4/4/1968, 10Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies
- Thomas H. Stonebraker DOB 12/21/82, Parole Violation, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- 1 Federal arrest - sealed indictment
- 2 Juvenile arrests
SUMMIT COUNTY
- Roger Jeffrey Cederholm DOB 6/26/88, 5 Cts. Dealing in Material Harmful to a Minor, 3rd Degree Felony
- Christopher Molineux DOB 1/17/92, 3 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd degree Felonies, 1 Federal arrest - sealed indictment
UTAH COUNTY
- Adam Kuntz DOB 3/9/78, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Brenden Morrey DOB 9/24/87, 1 Ct. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Felony, 3 Cts. Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child, 1st Degree Felonies, 1 Ct. Sodomy on a Child, 1st Degree Felony
- Coltin MacKey DOB 9/30/89, 1 Ct. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Danny Marshall DOB 6/28/50, 4 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Jeremy Bjarnson DOB 9/17/87, 12 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Jeremy Hanks DOB 2/23/74, Probation Violation, Federal charges of Possession of Child Pornography
- Victor Karcich DOB 7/5/77, 1 Ct. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Mark Tingey DOB 7/17/87, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Matthew Hall DOB 5/21/84, 2 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- Ephraim Smith DOB 8/3/80, 1 Ct. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony, 1 Juvenile 1 Ct. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felony
- 1 person - Under investigation with charges pending
WEBER COUNTY
- Brian Stafford DOB 8/24/90, 2 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies, 2 Cts. Solicitation of Prostitution, Class B Misdemeanors,
- Thomas Carr DOB 1/14/1962, 10 Cts. Sexual Exploitation of Minor, 2nd Degree Felonies, pleaded guilty to 3 counts
- 1 Juvenile, 1 Ct. Manufacturing child pornography, 2 Cts. Prostitution
Shurtleff's office said the the investigations took place in Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Iron, Kane, Salt Lake, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Washington and Weber counties.
Press conference graphics and photos were posted at
http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/PR_042811.html.
More information about the Utah ICAC Task Force and tips for parents to protect their children online can be found at
http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html.
