Medford, Ore. – Police have arrested John Curtis Ehly, after they say he exchanged his son’s photo for child pornography. The case is a joint investigation by the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force, the Medford Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security.
Ehly is accused of using a photo of his own pre-school aged son to get other images of child pornography back in return. Federal court documents obtained by NBC5 News on Friday reveal Ehly used Kik Messenger, a mobile messaging app, as a tool to get the porn, exchanging several comments with other members.
“Kik Messenger is a very popular mobile application,” Detective Sergeant Colin Fagan said. “It’s one that we’re very familiar with because there’s a fair amount of seeking out children for sexual exploitation that goes on there.”
According to the court documents, in one thread, a user asks Ehly, “you got any?” Ehly replied,”No, but in about two months there will be lots.” Ehly is then accused of sending a picture of his son in a stroller, facing away from the camera, writing, “Too young to model yet.”
Detective Sergeant Fagan, Captain of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, and an investigator with the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force, said this kind of case occurs far too frequently.
“We spend a great deal of time trying to investigate, these are real children that are being sexually exploited by very evil people,” Detective Sergeant Fagan said.
Police executed a search warrant at Ehly’s house on the 300 block of Ogara street in Medford. They say they seized a number of electronics, including Ehly’s phone, on which additional explicit child porn was found.
Ehly is in custody at the Jackson County Jail on federal charges related to possession of child pornography. His partner Daniel Robertson has not been charged with anything, however detectives say the investigation is still ongoing.
The child has been taken into protective custody by the Department of Human Services.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.