Las Vegas NowOperation Predator Tracks Child Porn

Operation Predator Tracks Child Porn

(Apr. 6) -- A Las Vegas man accused of making and having child porn will be back in court later this month. 56-year-old David Ashman faces charges of child pornography and sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Ashman will be back in court on Apr. 20th for a preliminary hearing. That's when a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to send him to trial.

An international effort to track down sexual predators is underway. Authorities are looking into at least 100 more leads just in Las Vegas alone. Millions of people are online at any given time and many are kids.

Sgt. Russell Shoemaker said, "There is a lot of potential targets for someone who is willing to lie and misrepresent themselves to get this child involved with them and establish a relationship." Sgt. Shoemaker works for Metro's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Sgt. Russell Shoemaker: "The most difficult part to tracking porn is -- one, finding it -- two, demonstrating it's child porn, not look-a-like child porn, which is popular and -- three, working through shams and lies they use to put that material on the internet."

Metro is assisting in Operation Predator, which has taken more than $2,000 child predators and sex offenders off the streets all over the world. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency heads the initiative.

Agent Stephen Usiak: "One side of it is taking a look at people who are accessing the Internet going into websites involving child porn. The other side is targeting people who are foreign nationals in the U.S. who have been committed of crimes involving children."

Recently agents served search warrants at a company running websites and a credit card company billing customers. That led to thousands of leads and at least 100 here in Las Vegas.

Agent Stephen Usiak: "We take a look at the ones where the occupation deals with children to try and do them first."

While Internet technology will continue to improve, authorities hope initiatives like Operation Predator will keep them one click ahead.

Suspects can be arrested on charges of using technology to lure a child and face anywhere from 2 to 10 years in prison. Being found guilty of having sex with a child can send someone away for life in prison.