LEWISTON — A 20-year-old man is being held on a $1 million bond after being charged with eight counts relating to child sexually exploitative material.
Jeffrey W. Carlton, of Lewiston, was charged with four counts of distribution of child sexually exploitative material and four counts of possession of child sexually exploitative material. The maximum penalties for the charges are 30 years and a $50,000 fine for each of the distribution charges and 10 years and a $10,000 fine for each of the possession charges.
The charges allege that Carlton distributed or possessed videos containing sexually explicit conduct with children infants to 13 years old from February to March and November, according to court documents.
The investigation began in April after a report of child sexually exploitative material being distributed on the messaging app Kik. Six videos were sent to investigators that showed child sexually exploitative material. The FBI Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking also started to be involved in the investigation as Lewiston police began to identify the owner of the account, according to the probable cause affidavit.
A subpoena was issued in June to Kik to get the owner of the account “kinkyusername69.” The account was linked to an IP address, cellphone and later to a Cable One account to an address in Lewiston. An Amazon account then allegedly linked the email address associated with the Kik account to Carlton and also connected it to the Lewiston address using his driver’s license, according to the affidavit.
The Kik account was later accessed and contained more child sexually exploitative material as well as conversation allegedly between Carlton and another user discussing sexually harming children at playgrounds, according to the affidavit.
A federal search warrant was issued and Lewiston police and an FBI agent contacted Carlton to talk at the police station where he asked for an attorney to be with him during the interview. The search warrant was also executed and a phone was found that allegedly belonged to Carlton. When police turned it on it had been reset to factory settings and it was sent for further analysis. The phone allegedly matched the one investigators discovered was connected to the Kik account, according to the affidavit.
Carlton appeared Thursday before Magistrate Judge Karin Seubert by Zoom at the Nez Perce County Courthouse.
Taylor Allen with the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office requested a $1 million bond. Allen said that even though Carlton didn’t have a criminal history, the protection of the community warranted the high bond amount, “especially children in the community.”
Danny Radakovich, who was representing Carlton for his first court appearance, said although the charge is serious, $1 million was too high.
“That’s, like, murder bond,” he said and asked for something closer to $10,000.
Seubert agreed that while there was no criminal history there was a very high risk to the community and not just the local community but the larger public given that the crimes happened over the internet. She set bond at $1 million given the “horrific” nature of the crimes. Carlton is also restricted from talking to minors and using the internet if he is released.
Radakovich asked the court for a competency evaluation to see if he was fit for trial. Seubert took that request as a motion for an evaluation and granted that at the end of the hearing.
Seubert appointed the State Public Defender to represent Carlton. His next court date is a competency evaluation Dec. 13.
Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.
