By Brandi Makuski

A 60-year-old former SPASH employee has been charged with 18 counts of possession of child pornography.

Peter J. Anderson of Stevens Point became a suspect during a Dept. of Justice investigation, when agents determined a specific peer-to-peer file sharing network had been used to distribute child pornography.

According to the criminal complaint, photo and video files depicting sex acts between children as young as five had been downloaded to an IP address registered to Anderson’s Phillips St. home.

Detectives from the Stevens Point Police Dept., working with investigators from the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), conducted a search of Anderson’s home on Aug. 31. He was taken into custody later that day.

During police interviews, Anderson said he was curious about homosexuality and frequented adult-oriented websites, also searching for pornography on file sharing websites. Anderson told police he “normally would not download files indicative of child pornography,” but police found several files containing ages of the children being depicted within the file description.

“The defendant explained that upon downloading a file he may not view files for several weeks, but upon viewing it, if he finds it inappropriate he deletes it,” the complaint reads in part.

Anderson told police he had two computers and four external hard drives in his home. When police asked if any child pornography was stored on those devices, Anderson said he had been holding an external hard drive for a “friend who had just gotten out of prison for possession of child pornography.” Anderson admitted to having viewed some of the child pornography on that hard drive, according to the complaint, and continued to keep the device because it was his friend’s property.

After additional questioning, police discovered Anderson’s friend was actually a male family member who had served time in prison for child pornography. Detectives later determined many of the child pornography files on that device were date stamped after the family member went to prison, indicating Anderson himself had downloaded the files.

Police also questioned Anderson about his time working at Stevens Point Area Senior High, and whether or not he ever acted inappropriately with male students. Anderson said, “I’ll admit, I thought about that,” but said he “never got close enough to any kids for that type of relationship to happen.”

According to the complaint, while employed at SPASH Anderson had previously been accused of taking photos of boys in the shower. Anderson resigned from the school district in Aug. of 1998, but it was not immediately known if he resigned as a result of the accusation.

“He was a computer aid in the library and was not directly supervising students,” said Sarah O’Donnell, director of communications for the district, of Anderson’s employment.

Anderson is currently free on a $3,500 cash bond. He is scheduled for arraignment before Judge Thomas Eagon on Oct. 31 at 11:30 AM.

If convicted, Anderson faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for each count against him.