Attorney General's News Release

September 18, 2000

Smithville man pleads guilty to child pornography and harassment charges in connection with Internet threats

Liberty, Mo. — A 20-year-old Smithville man who sent threats over the Internet to students and staff at a Massachusetts middle school pleaded guilty today in Clay County Circuit Court to three felony counts of attempted promotion of child pornography in the first degree and one misdemeanor count of harassment.

Christian Hunold (DOB - 12/10/79) pleaded guilty to the charges prosecuted by Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Donald T. Norris, with the assistance of Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon's High Technology and Computer Crime Unit.

"These charges and this plea show we're not going to tolerate anyone using the Internet or any other means to promote violence in our schools or direct children to Web sites containing child pornography," Nixon said. "We had strong cooperation between local and state law enforcement, both here and in Massachusetts, to successfully prosecute this case."

Hunold was charged with producing, publishing and creating child pornography on the Internet and with using the Internet and telephone to frighten several individuals by threatening to kill them. Representatives of the Attorney General's Office, Smithville police and Massachusetts law enforcement executed a search warrant last Oct. 22 and seized computer hardware and software.

The search warrant was executed after monitoring by the Attorney General's Office, the Massachusetts State Police, and police in Townsend, Mass., indicated that threats against students and staff at a Townsend middle school were originating from a computer in Hunold's home.

Hunold is scheduled to make his next court appearance Oct. 26, at which time he may be sentenced following a pre-sentence investigation by the Department of Corrections. Each of the three felony counts carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $5,000 fine; the harassment count carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818