A 26-year-old Columbia man was arrested after an investigation led to the discovery of pornographic video files of children at the home he shared with his mother, state police Detective Robert Smolek said yesterday.
William Charles Jarraeu Spinks of High Hawk Court was indicted by a Howard County grand jury Wednesday on nine counts of possession and distribution of child pornography. He was arrested Thursday and was being held on $40,000 bond.
A state trooper began the investigation in June last year after finding that someone was offering more than 100 video files depicting child pornography through a peer-to-peer Internet program. The investigator tracked the source of the videos to the suspect's home, obtained a search warrant and seized a computer. Analysis showed the computer had multiple images of graphic child pornography, police said.
Distribution of child pornography carries a 10-year prison term and a $25,000 fine for a first offense.