Portales man found guilty of child porn charges

PORTALES, N.M. (KFDA) - A New Mexico jury found a Portales man guilty of child porn charges.

The Ninth Judicial District Attorney’s Office said a jury convicted 53-year-old Anthony West on nine counts of causing or permitting a child (13 to 18) to engage in sexual exploitation.

Officials said on April 23, 2020, New Mexico State Police were called about a possible child pornography case.

Their investigation led to the discovery that West had hundreds of explicit photos and videos of himself engaging in sexual acts with a child as young as 16 years old.

West had the pictures on multiple electronic devises in his home.

Officials said it is believed that West had been grooming the victim, identified as his step daughter, since the time she was 7 years old. Police found pictures from when the victim was 13 years old to over 18 years old.

At the trial, the victim recanted an earlier statement and claimed it wasn’t her stepfather, West, in the pictures.

“It is not uncommon for a victim of this kind of sexual abuse to recant or struggle with breaking away from the abuse,” said prosecutor Brian Stover. “The mental stress that a victim is under is extreme. They often blame themselves for the abuse. Our job is to seek after the truth. Sometimes we have to protect the victims from themselves.”

Officials went through the images to pinpoint several images that identified West as the perpetrator.

Out of over 1,500 images located by investigators, the prosecution team presented over 200 images showing the abuse occurring on nine specific dates over the course of two years.

West is in custody and sentencing is scheduled for May 15.

West is facing a maximum of 99 years in prison. West is currently a registered sex offender for a 2004 conviction for sexual battery out of Indiana.

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