SALT LAKE CITY -- At least 40 people may be prosecuted for child pornography possession, creation or distribution thanks to Operation FrostyLime Squeeze.
The Utah Attorney General's Office touts the statewide operation that lasted from Feb. 28 to March 31 as the biggest in Utah history. Police had made at least 39 arrests as of Thursday afternoon, three of which occurred in Weber County, as well as three others in Davis County. Thirty-one other investigations are still under way -- including some in Box Elder County -- and 114 other people have been notified that they are under investigation.
"This should send chills for every parent and person concerned for our children. Every single image constitutes a felony crime," said Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
In Davis County, Chase Richins, 27, and Dallin Ellis, 20, were arrested on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. Brian Craig Christensen, 31, was also arrested on five counts of object rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, both first-degree felonies.
In Weber County, Brian Stafford, 21, was arrested on two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of prostitute solicitation. Thomas Carr, 49, was arrested on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, three of which he has already pleaded guilty to.
Officers also arrested one juvenile in Weber County for manufacturing child pornography and for prostitution.
The people arrested or investigated statewide are of all ages and come from all walks of life, said Jessica Farnsworth, field commander for the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
"We saw families devastated by the actions of their loved ones," she said. "No one expected these dual lives."
Shurtleff added that many were first-time offenders.
If all of the images the task force seized statewide were printed out and placed on top of each other, the stack would be more than 300 times the height of Mount Everest, Shurtleff said. The images were found on dozens of seized computers, external hard drives and cell phones, as well as more than 1,000 CDs and DVDs. The seizures also included five Xbox game consoles.
Shurtleff referred to it all as "mind-blowing."
Farnsworth pointed out that not every predator stops at viewing child pornography. They could want to take the next step and molest a child, she said.
While the pornography could come from all over the world, that next step hits closer to home, said Layton Police Chief Terry Keefe. "They try to arrange meetings with our children," he said.
Keefe also noted how no single police agency could have handled such an investigation on its own. He praised the cooperation between 37 different agencies, including the FBI, with ICAC.
Fundraising from Operation Kids allowed the state more resources and time to investigate these cases than in years past, Shurtleff said.
Law enforcement vowed to continue going after anyone who would prey on children.
"We will keep the lights on to protect you and your children from what hides in the darkness," Farnsworth said.
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