Pocatello man charged after allegedly taking pornographic photos of at least one child

POCATELLO — A 27-year-old Pocatello man has been charged after allegedly taking inappropriate pictures of at least one child.

Adrian Ray Cantu is charged with felony possession of sexually exploitative material. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

In early December, an officer from the Pocatello Police Department was contacted by an officer with the American Falls Police Department. The American Falls officer said a reporting party found child pornography on a family member’s cellphone while in Pocatello, court documents said. 

Cantu, who lives in Pocatello, was identified as the one with the cellphone pictures.

The Pocatello Police officer was told some of the pictures were taken at a residence in Pocatello and that they were of young children. The officer met with the reporting party, and another woman accompanied her and asked how the pictures had been found. 

The reporting party said one day, Cantu had passed out drunk after a party at the Pocatello home, and “something in her head” had told her to look at his phone. She looked through photo albums and found one that was in a hidden folder, court documents said. 

She reportedly found clothed and unclothed pictures of children who were 12 and 7 years old.

In at least one of the pictures, it’s reported that Cantu’s genitalia were visible, next to a child. 

She told police she had confronted Cantu about what she had found. He became upset and left the house, court documents said. She then confronted him the next day, and he admitted he had pictures of the children, documents said. 

The other woman who was in the interview also told police she had seen Cantu’s phone and confirmed there were numerous clothed and unclothed photos of young children. 

The officer was able to take Cantu’s phone into evidence. Police found several images of what appeared to be a child asleep when the pictures were taken. An adult hand was reportedly pulling her underwear to the side to expose her. She is listed as 6 to 7 years old in court documents. 

Documents said police officers continued investigating “due to the amount” of pictures found on Cantu’s phone. 

EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Cantu’s attorney to get his side of what happened, but we have not heard back. If we get a statement, we will update this story. 

He was arrested in December and later released on his own recognizance on Dec. 13. He was ordered to wear an electronic GPS monitor. 

Cantu is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at the Bannock County Courthouse on Jan. 14 at 9 a.m. 

Though Cantu has been charged with this crime, this does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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