Booking photo for Tyrrell M. Judy. (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)
LOGAN — A 29-year-old North Logan man has pleaded guilty to downloading child pornography after police found a “large” database of thousands of pictures and videos on his electronic devices. Tyrrell M. Judy accepted a plea deal and will be sentenced next month.
Judy participated in a virtual hearing Monday afternoon in 1st District Court, appearing by web conference from the Cache County Jail. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop 10 remaining charges.
Judy was arrested last December after Logan City Police officers received a cybertip from the Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. It described how an electronic device was uploading hundreds of child pornography pictures and videos to a file sharing account.
As the investigation continued, police filed a warrant to search the file sharing account. They received 18 gigabits of information, including 4924 photos and 1588 videos, mostly of child pornography. The material had been organized by name and how old the children were.
Police tracked an internet IP address to the North Logan apartment complex where Judy lived. They conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle shortly after he left the residence, Dec. 2.
Judy was questioned by officers at the Logan City Police Department. He admitted to being attracted to children, preferably between 12 and 17-years-old. The attraction started when he was younger and reportedly sexually abused. He said he would view child pornography on his cell phone, tablet and computer.
Police searched the devices and found some of the files went all the way back to 2004. In addition to the photos and videos, some of the material depicted cartoon drawings.
Judy spoke briefly during Monday’s hearing, telling the court he was willing to waive his rights to a fair trial and plead guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 13, and could face up to 15 years in prison.
will@cvradio.com