Possession, distribution, and creation of child pornography is unlawful in Thornton, Commerce City, Brighton, and Northglenn. This felony sex offense comes with devastating punishments that can impact a defendant for years to come. Images, video, stills, and clips of anyone under 18 behaving sexually aren’t tolerated throughout Colorado and prosecutors are known to seek harsh consequences in most situations. Contacting a lawyer for child porn allegations early on is a wise decision, especially with so much on the line. Below we discuss this crime of sexual exploitation of a child in further detail and how our skilled defense attorneys can help those facing accusations.
Adams County Child Pornography Law
Adams County’s child porn laws prohibit having, sending, or creating pornographic material involving juveniles. CRS 18-6-403 is the lengthy and complex statute that defines sexual exploitation of a child in Colorado. Law enforcement will pursue charges if they believe you:
- possessed sexually explicit pictures, video, or recordings,
- showing someone 17 or younger in the nude, exposing themselves, engaged in fondling intimate parts, masturbating, aroused, or having oral, vaginal, or anal sex,
- OR contributed to distributing or creating these materials
A key element to this offense is that these images or video are possessed, sent, or created for someone’s sexual gratification. Underage sexually explicit materials are often found on laptops, smartphones, tablets, and PCs, but can also exist in printed form or VHS.
How Serious are Child Pornography Crimes in Adams County?
The ramifications of a child pornography conviction depend largely on how many images or video are involved and what the defendant did with the materials. Ranging from a class 5 felony to a class 3 felony, sentencing can include:
- a prison sentence of 1 – 12 years,
- fines of $1K – $750K,
- years of sex offender intensive supervised probation,
- sex offender registration (minimum of 20 years),
- mandatory treatment
The societal assumption behind a crime like sexual exploitation of a child is that the defendant has an underlying issue of attraction to children. However, this crime sometimes involves truly questionable material where it’s difficult to discern the exact age of those in the images or video.
Thornton Lawyer for Child Porn Charges
An accusation of interaction with child pornography can be very unsettling. Whether you’ve been accused by a family member, friend, or coworker, or your internet service provider has informed law enforcement of specific activity, strategic representation is a must. Perhaps you didn’t know you were in possession of child porn, the young people in the material were 18+, or the files weren’t for anyone’s sexual gratification. Nevertheless, contact a lawyer for child porn allegations today. Our free, confidential consultations provide an opportunity to carefully review your case, ask questions, and hear recommendations as to next steps in your defense. We can do jail visits to meet with those currently in custody or meet with potential clients at one of our three conveniently located offices.
Don’t talk to police about child pornography charges – talk to us. 303-830-0880
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