EUGENE, Ore. (AP) A man convicted of producing child pornography for distribution over the Internet was sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.
Robert Earl Smith, 53, of Eugene pleaded guilty last month to sexual abuse and sodomy involving an infant who was less than a year old. Deputy Lane County District Attorney Debra Vogt told the judge Monday that a life term for Smith is the only way to ensure he won't harm other children.
Vogt said Smith used encryption software to hide computer images of child pornography, converted space in his attic for storing and using the pornography for his sexual gratification, and wrote fictional stories about kidnapping, raping, torturing and killing small children.
In e-mail exchanges with an undercover investigator, Smith, who used "naughtygrampa" as an Internet screen name, encouraged the officer to abuse a young child. Smith also wrote that he only abuses very young children because they can't tell on him.
"He admitted he had always had an interest in child pornography," Vogt told Lane County Circuit Judge Karsten Rasmussen. "He said he enjoyed the fantasy and titillation of child pornography."
A search warrant served at Smith's home and office turned up evidence that he photographed himself sexually abusing a very young girl and distributed the images on the Internet, Vogt said.
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Robert Earl Smith, 53, of Eugene pleaded guilty last month to sexual abuse and sodomy involving an infant who was less than a year old. Deputy Lane County District Attorney Debra Vogt told the judge Monday that a life term for Smith is the only way to ensure he won't harm other children.
Vogt said Smith used encryption software to hide computer images of child pornography, converted space in his attic for storing and using the pornography for his sexual gratification, and wrote fictional stories about kidnapping, raping, torturing and killing small children.
In e-mail exchanges with an undercover investigator, Smith, who used "naughtygrampa" as an Internet screen name, encouraged the officer to abuse a young child. Smith also wrote that he only abuses very young children because they can't tell on him.
"He admitted he had always had an interest in child pornography," Vogt told Lane County Circuit Judge Karsten Rasmussen. "He said he enjoyed the fantasy and titillation of child pornography."
A search warrant served at Smith's home and office turned up evidence that he photographed himself sexually abusing a very young girl and distributed the images on the Internet, Vogt said.
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