Man gets prison for child porn

COEUR d’ALENE — A Spokane man convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material received the maximum sentence for the crime.

Jurors found 38-year-old Chadlen D. Smith guilty in March of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitive material, a felony.

First District Judge Barbara Duggan sentenced Smith on Monday to 10 years in prison with five years fixed and five years indeterminate.

That means Smith will be eligible for parole in about five years.

He was arrested last January for allegedly stalking a Post Falls Police Department employee. He was later arrested again and charged with violating a protection order.

Electronics in Smith’s possession at the time of his arrest were seized as possible evidence in the stalking case.

Forensic examination of the devices reportedly yielded images of nude children, toddlers and infants, as well as other photos of children that did not qualify as pornography.

A jury convicted Smith specifically of possessing a collage of photos of a child whose genitals were exposed.

Prosecutor Rebecca Perez emphasized that those who consume child sexual abuse material contribute to the exploitation of child victims.

“It’s easy to sanitize it and think, ‘Oh, it’s just an image,’” she said. “It’s really not. It is a child. It is a child being exploited by the abuser, the filmer and the consumer.”

Smith has a prior felony conviction of injury to a child, stemming from a 2009 lewd conduct case.

An evaluation reportedly determined that Smith has a high risk to reoffend.

Before handing down the sentence, Duggan noted that Smith is mentally ill and said treatment for him is best implemented in a correctional setting.

“Your diagnosed area of concern involves some of the most vulnerable individuals possible,” Duggan said.

Smith is expected to stand trial in August for a misdemeanor stalking charge.