Attorney General Horne Announces Sentencing of Child Sex Predator

Phoenix, AZ (Monday, December 9, 2013) – Attorney General Tom Horne is today announcing the sentencing of Christopher John Clark, of Mesa, AZ, for having knowingly distributed, transported, exhibited, received, sold, purchased, electronically transmitted, possessed, or exchanged a visual depiction in which a minor under 15 years of age is engaged in exploitative exhibition or other sexual conduct.  

The Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office (MCSO) received information from a company, based in Pennsylvania, that known images of child pornography were being accessed and distributed from an IP address in Mesa, Arizona. The company monitors search terms and search matches for the security of their clients on peer to peer networks. An employee was monitoring a peer-to-peer network for a client and discovered child pornography on a computer in Mesa. MCSO was able to identify Christopher Clark as the owner of the IP address. 

On March 19, 2013, a search warrant was conducted at Christopher Clark’s residence. During the search of the house, Christopher Clark was taken out to a detective’s car to determine if he was the individual linked to the use of the computer for downloading child pornography. Christopher Clark was Mirandized and confessed to the child pornography being his and that he downloaded the child pornography on his computer.  The computer that was being used to download the child pornography was found in his bedroom. A forensic examination of the computer found images and videos that were contraband and an age assessment was conducted by medical staff at Child Help. The medical staff determined that the images/videos were of children under the age of 15. These images and videos contained children in sexually exploitative acts with adults and animals.

On March 26, 2013, the State Grand Jury indicted Christopher Clark for ten counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class 2 Felony and Dangerous Crimes Against Children. The defendant entered a plea agreement to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class 2 Felony and Dangerous Crimes against Children and to one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a Class 2 Felony. On November 25, 2013, Christopher Clark was sentenced to 12 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections and upon his release will be placed on lifetime probation with sex terms and computer usage terms. Christopher Clark will also have to register as a sex offender.