Computer Child Porn Nets 15-Year Sentence
DETECTIVE POSED AS 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL TO SET TRAP
Posted: December 3, 2009 at 4:17 a.m.
FAYETTEVILLE — A judge sentenced a Hot Springs man Wednesday to 15 years at the Arkansas Department of Correction for computer child pornography.
A Washington County Circuit Court jury took less than an hour to found David Fikes Sr., 47, guilty. Circuit judge William Storey sentenced Fikes immediately.
Yvette Schrock, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office detective, told jurors a person police later identified as Fikes approached her online and propositioned her, while she posed as a 13-year-old girl, to engage in sexual activity. Police also said a video showing a man masturbating was sent to the detective from Fikes’ computer, but the defense disputed that it was Fikes in the video.
Schrock is a member of a special investigative unit that conducts undercover child porn stings.
Police say they traced several sexually explicit chats and the video to Fikes’ computer.
Fikes denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying he was not involved in any chats, didn’t make the video and didn’t send it. He contended someone else must have gone in his house while he was at work and used the computer to send the messages.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Denis(Denis is CQ) Dean didn’t buy that explanation.
“In order to believe the defendant didn’t do this, you’d have to believe someone broke into the home, which was protected by an alarm system, nine times,” Dean said. “David Fikes is a sexual predator who was chatting with a 13-year-old girl.”
Dean also said Fikes logged on to a tax preparation Web site minutes after one of the chats with Schrock.
“What a helpful pervert,” Dean said.
Fikes faced five to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $15,000. Dean urged jurors to return a tough sentence.
“This guy’s a major league sick-o,” Dean said. “We need to keep our children safe by keeping this man off a computer.”
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