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Investigators look for adults seen in photos of child porn
BALTIMORE -
Other adults may have helped a Harford County sex offender produce child pornography, prosecutors say. The registered sex offender, Leon Frederick Richards Jr., 34, of Street, was indicted by a Harford grand jury Tuesday on 23 counts of sexual assault, production of child pornography, stalking and sexual solicitation of a minor. Polaroid pictures recovered during the investigation depicted at least three children, from toddlers to teens, performing sexual acts, and other adults can be seen in the photos, said Harford County State’s Attorney Joseph Cassilly. “Whatever adults were in charge of the children at that time must have known what Richards was doing,” Cassilly said. Investigators from the FBI and Harford County’s Child Advocacy Center were working to identify the children and the adults in the photos. Richards, who was indicted on charges of first-, second- and third-degree sexual assault, did not appear to be in any of the pornographic photos, Cassilly said. Police arrested Richards on Jan. 10, the day after a young girl in Bel Air reported that a man in a white pickup truck was stalking her. Investigators from the Child Advocacy Center connected Richards to two other incidents in August and September, when he allegedly approached minors while driving a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck in the Bel Air area. Richards had been registered as a sex offender in 2001 after serving an 18-month sentence for third-degree sex offense and child abuse. msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com |
