North Pole man gets nine years in child porn case

FAIRBANKS (AP) A North Pole man has been sentenced to nine years in prison on charges he took pornographic photographs of four minor teenage boys and molested two of them.

Theodore Jenkins Jr., 30, was sentenced Thursday by Fairbanks Superior Court Judge Charles Pengilly. The judge issued the maximum sentence assigned under a plea agreement.

Alaska State Troopers started investigating Jenkins in June 2002 after receiving a report that he was photographing a nude family member and saving the digital pictures on computer discs.

Jenkins was indicted on 41 felony charges ranging from sexual abuse of a minor to viewing indecent photography, with troopers reporting that four victims were either photographed or molested. Jenkins gained access to the boys while they spent the night at the family member's house where he lived, troopers reported.

He reached a plea agreement in February that resulted in the dismissal of all but seven of the charges filed against him.

The judge also sentenced Jenkins to an additional eight years of probation and five years of suspended jail time, meaning that Jenkins could be sent back to jail for as many as five years if he gets into trouble during the period of probation following his release.

Ken Covell, Jenkins' attorney, said the case represented Jenkins' first felony. Jenkins also agreed to a plea deal that resulted in a conviction rather than try to fight the charges during a trial, Covell said.

Prosecutor Gene Gustafson focused on the serious harm caused to victims, considering many of the pictures Jenkins took have the possibility of circulating on the Internet for years to come.

Jenkins spoke during the hearing and said he plans to seek treatment.

''I would just like to apologize for my actions and I'm willing to accept responsibility for what I've done,'' he said.