Fort Wainwright soldier charged with possessing child pornography
Published Friday, May 16, 2008
A 22-year-old Fort Wainwright infantryman is being held at the Fairbanks Correctional Center on 90 counts of possessing child pornography.
Pfc. Arthur Jaster also faces one count of child pornography distribution, according to an indictment filed Thursday at the Rabinowitz Courthouse.
Jaster, who is from Ambrose, N.D., is accused of possessing six videos of up to a half hour in length featuring multiple children involved in various sex acts, court records show. Some of the sex acts involved adults.
Jaster has been stationed at the Army post since last year and belongs to the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright spokeswoman Linda Douglass said.
Fairbanks police began investigating in February after a tip from detectives in the cybercrimes unit at the Anchorage Police Department, Fairbanks Detective Peyton Merideth said.
“They send us cases from time to time when they discover a person online possessing and distributing child pornography,” Merideth said. “We work really closely with Anchorage because we have such a problem up here.”
Both departments belong to the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Officers obtained a search warrant and seized Jaster’s personal computer, where the videos were found, from his barracks room at Fort Wainwright, Merideth said.
“We did conduct an interview with him at the time the search warrants were served,” Merideth said. “The information gained from the search warrant was consistent with what he told us.”
Possession of child pornography is a Class B felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Distribution of child pornography is a Class C felony that carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
The number of charges against Jaster reflects each sex act committed by each child in the videos he is accused of possessing, Merideth said.
Jaster was arrested on a $50,000 warrant, court records show. His arraignment was scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Douglas Blankenship.