Preston man sentenced to at least five years for possessing child pornography

PRESTON – A 34-year-old local man was sentenced to at least five years in prison on Thursday.

According to a news release from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, Micheal Thomas Baird pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession.

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The man was originally charged with 10 felony counts, but he accepted a plea agreement in September that dismissed eight of them.

As part of the agreement, Baird was sentenced to five years fixed and 10 years indeterminate. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

There is no affidavit of probable cause, meaning information about this case is limited. However, according to the release, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force received a cybertip in July, which started the investigation into Baird.

According to the tip, an account that belonged to Baird had uploaded files of child porn. In August, officers executed a search warrant on Baird’s home and seized multiple devices.

The contents from the devices were searched, and investigators found multiple files of the explicit materials that showed children between the ages of three and 11, being abused.

The release states Baird was on probation for felony aggravated assault and felony malicious injury to property at the time of his arrest.

“Removing these predators from our communities is a top priority for our office,” Attorney General Raul Labrador said in the release. “Our ICAC prosecutors and investigators work tirelessly to deliver justice for these tragically young victims of abuse. I’m continually grateful for the broad partnerships that have been built across the state to protect kids and put these offenders behind bars.”

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