Finnigan Waives Child Pornography Charges

CLEARFIELD– A 60-year-old Woodland man, Reed Alan Finnigan, who has been accused of possessing child pornography waived his right to a preliminary hearing this morning during Centralized Court at the Clearfield County Jail.

Trooper Kimberly J. Ronan, a criminal investigator with the Clearfield-based state police, filed criminal charges against Finnigan for 537 counts of sexual abuse of children – child pornography and 368 counts of design obscene/sexual materials.

She also charged Finnigan with 12 counts of invasion of privacy and 10 counts each of sexual abuse of children – photography, film, depiction on computer and unlawful contact with children – sexual abuse.

On Jan. 24, Finnigan’s wife contacted the Clearfield-based state police regarding “disturbing pictures” that she’d viewed on the defendant’s external hard drive. At approximately 10:15 a.m., Ronan and Trooper William Mostyn interviewed the defendant’s wife at the Woodland barracks.

She told police sometime in November 2011, she observed the defendant viewing nude photographs on a laptop computer late at night. She allegedly noticed this a few times over the course of months following November 2011. In addition, she noticed he possessed an external hard drive and examined it when he wasn’t at home, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

On Dec. 29, 2011, she connected Finnigan’s external hard drive to the laptop computer at their residence and examined some of its folders. She observed approximately 25 folders on the external hard drive. One folder was labeled “orders” and allegedly contained images of the victims. She reported that the images appeared “photo-shopped” with the victim’s heads superimposed on an unknown nude body.

Further, she told police the images were superimposed because bodies were completely nude on the beach. She was certain that the victims wouldn’t allow Finnigan to photograph them nude on the beach. However, she believed the nude bodies were age appropriate with one alleged superimposed body a little more developed than Victim 1’s body.

Finnigan’s wife said Victim 2 was also “photo-shopped” onto a nude female body and involved in a “sex act on hands and knees” with an adult male behind her. One image was labeled similar to “(Victim 2’s nickname omitted) getting screwed by a fat man.” She believed there were approximately 40 pictures in the folder, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

She also allegedly observed other folders on the hard drive that were labeled by the victims’ first names. She viewed some of these folders. One image allegedly showed Victim 2’s genitalia covered up by a bathing suit. Its caption read something like “Pubic.” She also observed a photograph of Victim 1 who appeared to be sleeping with her buttocks partially exposed.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, search warrants were executed for an external hard drive and desktop and laptop computers at Finnigan’s residence on Jan. 25. Two external hard drives and computers were seized from the residence. During the search, Finnigan said he would tell state police everything he possessed since they were “going to find it anyway.”

On Jan. 25, Finnigan was interviewed at the Woodland barracks. He was Mirandized and then agreed to a recorded interview. He admitted to having a porn addiction and that he began “photo-shopping” five years ago.

Further, he admitted to “photo-shopping” the victims’ faces onto nude bodies and in sexual acts. He admitted to photographing Victim 1, while she was sleeping with her buttocks exposed and others of Victim 2 in her bathing suit before enlarging the picture of her pubic area.

Finnigan repeatedly denied using the photographs for sexual stimulation. He told state police that he “looks but never touches.”

On approximately June 1, Trooper D. Matthew Powell of the computer crime unit searched Finnigan’s external hard drive for images that appeared to be “photo-shopped.” He located files that had been manipulated and labeled “working pictures” on the root of the drive. The folder contained subfolders, such as “faces,” “numbers,” “original,” “themes” and “to complete.” Within each subfolder, there were additional subfolders that contained family photographs, adult and child pornography and “photo-shopped” adult and child pornography.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, it appeared the family photographs were taken by or for the victims and used in conjunction with pornographic images. Subsequently, these were edited to create pornographic photographs of innocent and clothed victims. Some edited and downloaded photographs depicted children who were under the age of 18 years with exposed breasts and or genitalia and or engaged in a prohibited sex act or simulation of such an act.

Powell provided Ronan with an external hard drive that contained the entire contents of the “working pictures” directory for review. This directory contained more than 44,000 images.

Upon review of them, state police discovered 368 edited (photo-shopped) photographs depicting children under 18 years with exposed breasts and or genitalia and or engaged in a prohibited sex act or simulation of such an act. The original or innocent images depicted several children under 18 years who didn’t have any knowledge they were being photographed by Finnigan. Many were photographs of children who were wearing bathing suits.

In addition, state police discovered 537 images of child pornography depicting children under 18 years with exposed breasts and or genitalia and or engaged in a prohibited sexual act or simulation of such act.

Finnigan had 10 images of Victim 1 sleeping that were photographed between July 9, 2010 and July 16, 2010 during nighttime or early morning hours. Eight images depicted her buttocks completely and or partially exposed. It appears that her underwear had been pulled down, as she slept. These images were labeled as “original (victim’s initials omitted) butt” with a clothing description. Two images depicted her genitalia and were labeled as “original (victim’s initials omitted) puss.”

State police discovered two images of Victim 2’s pubic area, and these were dated Oct. 15, 2008. These images were labeled “Original (victim’s initials omitted) pubes.” Victim 2 was depicted posing for a photograph in her bathing suit. Her pubic area is the focus of the images, depicting her pubic hair emerging from the bathing suit, as she posed in a squatting position.

Finnigan was arrested July 29. His bail remains at $50,000 straight; he’s housed at the CCJ.

---

---