Battle Ground man charged with child pornography offenses

A Battle Ground man was formally charged in federal court Wednesday after 5,300 images and 183 movie files that show children engaged in sexually explicit conduct were allegedly discovered in a search of his home in March, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

German authorities alerted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Portland about a person in the Vancouver area distributing child pornography using peer-to-peer file-sharing software.

An investigation allegedly linked David P. Harlan, 42, of Battle Ground, to the IP address and the computer. He was charged Wednesday during an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Tacoma with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and manufacturing child pornography.

If convicted of all charges, Harlan could face up to 60 years in prison.

A search warrant served on Harlan’s home in March resulted in the seizure of 10 computers, numerous DVDs, hard drives and cameras, and led to the discovery of the pornographic images, authorities said.

Some of the pictures were of children already identified by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, while other images were of children whose parents were friends of Harlan, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office bulletin. One photo of a 5-year-old was alleged to have been taken while the girl’s mother was busy in a nearby kitchen.

The case against Harlan was investigated by ICE officials and the Battle Ground Police Department.