State investigators announce new advantage to catch child predators

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — State investigators say they have a new advantage in the fight to put child predators behind bars.

The State Bureau of Investigation gave Eyewitness News an exclusive look at one of its two new forensic response mobile units.

Special agent Kevin Rought with the SBI's Computer Crimes Unit showed Channel 9 the tools on board that help agents catch a child predator.

Agents use work stations to search through phones and hard drives.

They're looking for child pornography or other evidence and big screens allow them to scroll through a hard drive faster.

They also have a printer and scanner inside to print out any evidence necessary for questioning suspects.

Previously, they could only take scaled-down kits inside homes, which Roughton said aren't always clean or safe.

Being able to do analysis near the scene but separate from it also guarantees victims won't have to see images and suspects won't be interrupting.

"All of those can cause problems in trying to do forensics on scene," he said.

The units can also be used for undercover work, which is why Channel 9 did not show the outside of the unit. It was first used on Tuesday with the Mooresville Police Department and an Idaho law enforcement agency, although charges have no yet been filed in that case.

Capt. Joseph Cooke said the unit would be helpful in plenty of other cases, including an April arrest of 57-year-old Leon Morgan for sexual exploitation of a minor.

Cooke said Morgan used Craigslist to try to trade child pornography and arrange sex with a child.

"We always reach out to the SBI or the federal agencies for those resources, so it's real important that they have those resources to help us," Cooke said.

Roughton said child exploitation cases are only increasing. In 2011, the SBI and partner law enforcement agencies reported 1,900 cases.

That jumped to more than 2,600 in 2012 and is on track to beat that number this year.

He said anything that helps them fight criminals more effectively is a win.

"It's critical in protecting kids," he said.

The units are stationed in Charlotte and Raleigh but can be deployed anywhere across the state.

They cost $140,000 each, fully-equipped.

One was paid for by a federal grant and the other was paid for by the state.

WSOC