A Vancouver man who possessed video files containing child pornography was sentenced Thursday to a year in the Clark County Jail’s work release program, which allows him to work outside in the community and be confined when he’s not working.
Jason J. Evans, 25, previously pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of first-degree possessing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff McCarty requested that Evans serve a 30-month prison sentence. But Evans’ defense attorney, Katie Kauffman, argued for local jail time, which falls outside the standard range.
A pre-sentencing investigation conducted by the Washington Department of Corrections also stated a downward exceptional sentence would be appropriate, in part, because two evaluators found Evans poses a low risk of re-offending.
Judge Derek Vanderwood agreed that a lower sentence was appropriate but opted for 12 months, as opposed to the defense’s request of three to six months and DOC’s recommendation of eight months.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children contacted law enforcement after receiving a cybertip from Dropbox Inc., a file hosting service, about an account storing images suspected to be child pornography, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Investigators with the Vancouver Police Department’s Digital Evidence Cybercrime Unit determined that at least 27 video files contained images of child pornography, the affidavit states.
The account was eventually linked to Evans, and a search warrant was served on his residence and two vehicles, including his work van. Two cellphones were seized, and a forensic investigator found several images of child pornography on Evans’ personal phone, court records say.
Evans cooperated with police and admitted to creating and operating the Dropbox account and an associated email address. He told police he uploaded and viewed child pornography through the accounts, according to the court document.
In addition to his jail sentence, Evans will serve 12 months of community custody, must undergo treatment, register as a sex offender and is not to have contact with minors, other than supervised visits with his own children.
