• Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
  • Bookmark and Share
  • email
  • |
  • print
  • |
  • rss

tool name

close
tool goes here

Soldier pleads not guilty to exploiting teenage girls for nude photos

email this story print this story jump to comments

A Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier has been charged with 25 counts alleging he coerced seven teenage girls into sending him nude photographs while he was deployed in Afghanistan.

David Ford, 24, is expected to be arraigned this afternoon on charges including communication with a minor for immoral purposes, possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, second-degree extortion, sexual exploitation of a minor and viewing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Ford was arrested on base Monday after returning from his deployment. Ford entered a not guilty plea to all 25 counts. His bail was set at $500,000.

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2012/09/11/jblm-soldier-charged-with-exploiting-teenage-girls-for-nude-photos/#storylink=cpy

Prosecutors said Ford contacted seven girls and offered them money and other gifts in exchange for nude photos. He allegedly threatened them and warned he would show others the photos if they didn’t keep providing him with pictures.

Investigators began looking at Ford in April when a 15-year-old girl contacted the Washington State Patrol and reported that he found her on Facebook and made sexual comments.

She told detectives Ford offered her concert tickets if she would pose nude for him over Skype, which she did 25-35 times over four months. In return, Ford allegedly sent her $1,000 in gifts, including a gift certificate to Victoria’s Secret and an iPhone.

Ford met all the girls but one on Facebook and arranged to meet two of them at South Hill Mall, where prosecutors said he took one of them to a friend’s house and tried to have sex with her.

Images of the victims were found on Ford’s computer and one of the victims gave investigators a video of him masturbating, according to court documents. The girl reportedly took the video to try and prevent Ford from threatening to make the nude pictures of her public if she stopped sending them to him.

  • Bookmark and Share
  • email
  • |
  • print
  • |
  • rss

tool name

close
tool goes here
JOIN THE DISCUSSION

We welcome comments. To post one, you must sign in using either your McClatchyDC login or your login for Facebook, Twitter or Disqus. Just click the appropriate box below.

Please keep your comment civil, short and to the point. Obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. If you find a comment abusive or inappropriate, please flag it for the moderator by placing your cursor on the comment, then clicking the "flag" link that appears. Thanks for your participation.

Stay Connected

Sign up for email newsletters RSS
Follow us on your iPhone Follow us on your Android device
Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us using Google Currents

LEGAL AFFAIRS BLOG

Suits & Sentences

"Suits & Sentences" is written by Mike Doyle, who covers the Supreme Court for McClatchy's Washington Bureau. Send a story suggestion.