Cape Girardeau man accused of downloading child pornography

A Cape Girardeau man faces child pornography charges after his girlfriend allegedly found explicit photos on his home computer.

Johnny R. Hunter, 23, 418 Themis St., No. 6, was arrested Oct. 29 after he admitted searching for and downloading photos and videos that depicted sexual acts involving girls younger than 15. His bond was set at $50,000, which he has since posted. He is due to be back in court Nov. 23 before Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp.

The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The photos and videos were discovered when Hunter's girlfriend used his desktop computer. After finding the explicit pictures, the girlfriend notified police and gave them permission to seize the computer, which was taken to police headquarters for further examination, Officer Matthew Peters wrote in a sworn statement accompanying the charges.

One video discovered on the computer, he wrote, appeared to include a girl who was 2 or 3 years old.

After being read his Miranda rights, Hunter said during a recorded interview at police headquarters that he had downloaded about 20 videos depicting underage girls having sex over a three- to six-month period, Peters wrote in the sworn statement.

Hunter denied sharing the videos with anyone else, Peters wrote.

When he was arrested shortly after 11 p.m. Oct. 29, Hunter had a laptop computer with him. He told police that they would likely find pornographic images on the computer but that no illegal images were present on the computer. The laptop computer was also taken to police headquarters for examination.

Hunter also admitted that he had chatted with minors online but never about sex, Peters wrote.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

418 Themis St., Cape Girardeau, MO