VERNAL, Utah, Feb. 25, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Vernal man has been arrested for allegedly possessing child anime pornography, according to court documents.
A probable cause statement from the 8th District Court of Uintah County said Andrew Derek Walden, 31, is facing charges of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
On Dec. 4, 2019, while reviewing data received by law enforcement on a peer-to-peer network, the arresting officer observed an IP address “downloading and sharing blocks of suspected child pornography files,” the statement said.
The next day, a Third District Court judge reviewed and approved a judicial order that was subsequently served to the internet service provider. The internet provider reported the subscriber as Andrew Walden, residing in the Uintah County area. The IP address was last observed on the Freenet peer-to-peer network on Jan. 11.
On Jan. 19, an Eighth District Court Judge reviewed and approved a residential search warrant for Walden’s home. The search warrant was served by the Utah Attorney General’s Office, Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, and Vernal City Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
During the execution of the residential search warrant, thousands of images and videos of child pornography were allegedly found on multiple electronic devices all belonging to the suspect, the statement said.
“Agents also found over 20 posters that depicted nude child anime pornography,” the statement said. “Other items found in the residence, such as the computer mouse pad, also depicted nude child anime pornography.”
DVDs that depicted “child pornography, child erotica, and child anime” were found in Walden’s bookcases, the statement said. Magazines that contained child anime pornography were found in the home as well.
The peer-to-peer program that was used to download and share files of child pornography in December of 2019 was found on a laptop belonging to the suspect.
It was also discovered that Walden has multiple passports.
Walden requested an attorney, the statement said.
The suspect was transported to Uintah County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
