San Angelo Man Convicted of Child Porn Possession

A 21-year-old San Angelo man was convicted of two counts of possession of child pornography on Monday in Judge Barbara Walther’s 51^st District Courtroom.

Peter Rivera Casarez was timid and quiet as he took the seat next to defense attorney Gerald Ratliff, who picked up the case pro bono after Casarez’s retained counsel, Justin Mock, unexpectedly died recently.

Casarez was initially indicted on three counts of child pornography in February 2015, each count corresponding to a photograph of a child under 18 engaging in a sexual act involving the lewd exhibition of genitals. This was his first criminal offense.

“One of the images was verified by NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) as a known child victim. That victim was not from Texas,” Assistant District Attorney Jason Ferguson said. “We don’t have any evidence of any of these images coming from local children. All the evidence pointed to the defendant using the internet to find images of child pornography.”

Ferguson said that Casarez admitted to using the internet and Twitter to search for both child and adult pornography; however, there is no evidence to suggest that he ever made contact with any underage children.

In a plea deal with the state on Monday, Casarez pled guilty to the first two counts in exchange for a two-year sentence on count one and 10 years’ deferred adjudication probation on count two, to run concurrently. Count three was dismissed as part of the plea deal. The conviction will require Casarez to register as a sex offender.

“Even though the Defendant had just turned 21 years old and did not have a criminal history, due to the nature of this crime, I felt it was important that any plea agreement in this case include time in prison,” Ferguson said. “The concern here is twofold: Punish the offender and, most importantly, ensure the safety of our children. I am hopeful this plea accomplishes both of those goals.”

On probation, Casarez will monitored by local offices rather than the parole board, which poses tighter restrictions and mandatory sex offender counseling he otherwise would not receive.

“This will enable us to keep a much closer eye on him, including where he is living and what he is doing…” Ferguson said. “If he violates his probation, the defendant will still be subject to the maximum 10 years confinement in the penitentiary.”

Ferguson, who has prosecuted many cases involving online solicitation of a minor and other similar cases, warned of the very real dangers the internet and social media pose to unsuspecting children and adults.

“As the internet becomes more prevalent in our daily lives, children are increasingly at risk to child predators,” Ferguson said. “These are crimes that occur behind closed doors, but still pose a very real danger to our children and our communities.