Man arraigned for possession of child pornography

PALMER -- A janitor who has lived in Wasilla the past 13 months was arraigned Wednesday in Palmer Superior Court on 24 counts of possessing child pornography.

Randall Parker II entered a plea of not guilty. He was indicted May 16 by a grand jury in Bethel, where the crimes allegedly occurred in October 2002.

The 34-year-old defendant turned himself in to Wasilla police just before midnight Tuesday. He told police he had a warrant for his arrest. After confirming the warrant with Alaska State Troopers in Bethel, police arrested Parker and took him to Mat-Su Pre-Trial Facility, where he was lodged in lieu of $15,000 bail.

Parker, who has shoulder-length brown hair and a long beard as well as tattoos covering both forearms, answered questions without apparent emotion during the court session. He asked Judge Eric Smith to appoint a public defender.

"For the past year I've been a janitor," he said, adding he's been unemployed in recent weeks.

Parker said he has been renting a room in Wasilla for just over a year. His brother also lives in Wasilla, he said.

Although arraignment was conducted in Palmer, the case will be continued in Bethel, Assistant District Attorney Bob Collins said. A warrant for Palmer's arrest was issued in May, he said.

Possession of child pornography is a class C felony calling for up to five years in prison upon conviction and up to a $50,000 fine.

The indictment handed down in Superior Court in the Fourth Judicial District in Bethel noted, on each count, that Parker possessed pornography "knowing that the production of the material involved the use of a child under 18 years of age who engaged in the conduct."