Kasilof man arraigned on 20 child pornography charges

PALMER—A 34-year old Kasilof man was arraigned on 20 felony charges related to child pornography in Palmer District Court Friday.

Stewart Lee Blakeslee faces two counts of distribution of child pornography—a Class B felony, and 18 counts of possession of child pornography—a Class C felony. According to court documents, Blakeslee was arrested in Homer on July 8 following a warrant issued by Palmer Alaska State Troopers (AST).

A court affidavit filed in Palmer by AST Investigator Dustin Jorgensen states that Blakeslee’s arrest stemmed from work by the AST Technical Crimes Unit in Anchorage after receiving a tip from Anchorage Police Department (APD). According to the affidavit, APD received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating a Yahoo Instant Messenger account and cellphone had uploaded eight images believed to depict child pornography in early May of this year.

Through investigation, police were able to track back the uploads, which police said depict females believed to range from 8-14 years old, to Blakeslee. The affidavit stated Blakeslee, a corrections officer at Spring Creek Correctional Facility in Seward, was staying at a Wasilla hotel to attend a job-related training at the time the images were uploaded.

According to the affidavit, Blakeslee told police he utilized a messaging program on an online pornography site where he would trade child pornography with others he met online. Police obtained a search warrant for Blakeslee’s Kasilof residence where various electronic devices, including an external hard drive were seized. The affidavit said additional pornographic images of children, including some involving sexual acts, were found on the drive.

Blakeslee remains lodged in Mat-Su Pretrial Facility in lieu of $25,000 cash/corporate bail and a court-appointed third-party. He is scheduled for a 1 p.m., July 18 preliminary hearing in Palmer before Judge Gregory Heath.

Contact reporter Chris Ford at 352-2270 or chris.ford@frontiersman.com