By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A local man is facing child pornography charges at the state and possibly the federal level, after a computer he pawned at a Presque Isle shop was inadvertently given to another customer who subsequently turned it over to police.On Monday, Presque Isle police charged Cecil Scott Ireland, 34, of Canterbury St. in Presque Isle, with possession of sexually explicit material, after members of the Presque Isle Police Department found over 1,000 images of child pornography on the laptop Ireland reportedly pawned several months ago.
Local police are working with law enforcement in El Paso, Texas. An undercover officer in Texas has traced an IP address in Presque Isle which is linked to the distribution of such pornography. Ireland has reportedly been identified as the user of that link. Police also have the pawn slip connecting Ireland to the identified computer.
Police executed a search warrant Monday at Ireland’s residence. That investigation turned up additional digital evidence. Officer Bill Scull, a certified computer evidence forensic examiner with the PIPD, has been assigned to process items recovered at Ireland’s home.
Had it not been for the mixup at the pawn shop, Ireland might not have been caught. According to Irwin’s post on Facebook, the woman returned to pay off her loan and pick up her laptop but received one that looked similar to her own laptop. Upon taking it home, the woman found “volumes of child pornography on the computer” and called police to report it.
The ongoing investigation is in cooperation with the federal Internal Crimes Against Children task force and Homeland Security, who may be bringing federal charges against Ireland.
Ireland is free on $5,000 surety bail, with conditions that include having no contact with anyone under 18. He also must not possess any pornographic materials and must not use or have possession of any equipment capable of connecting to the Internet. Ireland is scheduled to appear April 30 in Presque Isle District Court.
