Hunt for child porn leads to police officer

EUGENE, Ore. -- The FBI searched the Cottage Grove Police Department and the Eugene home of a Cottage Grove police officer as part of an Internet child pornography investigation involving hundreds of images posted online since 2004, the most recent posted in late February.

Those 200 images show boys between the ages of 4 and 8, according to court records. The investigation started last September with a report of eight images of child pornography posted to another photo site.

No charges have been filed. KVAL News has chosen to not yet name the officer who is the subject of the investigation since he has not been charged with any crimes.

Police in Cottage Grove told KVAL News an officer has been placed on administrative leave but had no further comment, citing the FBI investigation.

Agents searched the police office in Cottage Grove's city hall. Investigators took several unspecified images off of computers there.

Agents also searched a home in the Cal Young Neighborhood of Eugene. Agents seized five cameras, at least six laptops and other computers, and other computer equipment, according to a search warrant return.

The FBI investigation started last September with a complaint to the Cyber Tipline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the FBI's application for a search warrant.

During the course of the investigation, agents discovered complaints linked to the same person from March 2008 that had inadvertantly been closed along with a large number of other cases involving suspects outside the United States.

Investigators also linked the case to tips dating back to 2004. | TIMELINE