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Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998
2 accused of sex crimes with children
Numerous videos, photos of nude 10-year-old girls seized in Flour Bluff raid
By RON GEORGE
Staff WriterTwo Corpus Christi men were arrested in connection with child sex crimes charges after police raided a Flour Bluff house and seized numerous videotapes and Polaroid photographs of nude 10-year-old girls -- and a large bird cage used as a prop.
Corpus Christi Police Chief Pete Alvarez said Jeffrey Orr, 49, has been accused by two 10-year-old girls of photographing them in the nude and inducing them to perform sexual acts three times during a period of several months.
Orr, who was arrested Tuesday night, remained in the Nueces County Jail on Wednesday on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and sexual performance of a child. His bond has been set at $275,000. If convicted, Orr could be sentenced to life in prison.
Jeremy Arnold, 19, who rents a room in Orr's house, also remained in jail on suspicion of possession of child pornography, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His bond has been set at $50,000 bond.
Alvarez said police found videotapes of the girls' sexual encounters with Orr. The sexual assault charges, Alvarez said, were based on the girls' statements to state investigators for Child Protective Services.
``He was a family friend,'' Alvarez said of Orr's relationship with the girls.
Parents, he said, should be wary of adults who spend time alone with other people's children.
``Parents need to be aware of things like this,'' Alvarez said. ``They need to be aware of where their kids are and who they're with.''
Police investigators are seeking other girls of about the same age whose photographs were found among hundreds of images confiscated when police executed a search warrant at Orr's house Tuesday night, Alvarez said.
``Other victims and additional charges are likely,'' he said.
All of the girls in Orr's videos and photos are Anglo, Alvarez said.
Corpus Christi authorities, he said, were exploring whether federal charges might be brought against Orr for possessing child pornography downloaded from the Internet.
Investigators will use specialized software to determine where the images came from, police said.
If the images are found to have crossed state lines, or if the equipment used to make and transport the images was made in another country, a federal offense has occurred, said Tim Fulton, acting resident agent in charge of the U.S. Customs Office in Corpus Christi.
Each image downloaded is punishable by 10 years imprisonment, Fulton said.
``These laws are very effective in dealing with child pornography and the use of computers to transmit these images,'' he said.
Alvarez said he has contacted customs officials about the case.
He said investigators had not determined whether Orr was posting photographs he made of local girls on the Internet. There was no evidence, he said, that Orr sold child pornography.
Police said no digital cameras or scanners, which would be used to post the materials on the Internet, were found in the residence.
``This type of child molester is known to store his material for future reference,'' Alvarez said. ``This guy here is producing his own.''
Police seized Orr's computer equipment, television set, video camera and videocassette recorder, numerous videocassettes, computer diskettes and Polaroid photographs, and board games Alvarez said were used to entice and amuse girls invited into Orr's house.
Also seized were a weightlifting bench used as a photo prop, and a wrought-iron bird cage almost 5 feet tall in which girls were photographed in the nude, Alvarez said.
Staff Writer Novelda Sommers contributed to this report.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web