Pinehurst man sentenced in child pornography case

WALLACE — A Pinehurst man who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges will serve at least three years in prison following a sentencing Monday.  

Gregg McFarlane, 51, received a unified 10-year sentence, including two sentences of three years fixed and seven indeterminate, and one sentence of three years fixed and two indeterminate after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of child sexually exploitative material and one count of visual representation of sex abuse of a minor. 

The charges originated from a search warrant executed in October at his residence by a task force organized by the Idaho Internet Crimes against Children. According to court records, police became aware of McFarlane’s actions after an IP address belonging to McFarlane was found to be downloading numerous files believed to be containing sexually explicit materials of children.      

During the raid on his home, police say they discovered hundreds of images on McFarlane’s computer containing extremely graphic sexual content with victims between the assumed ages of 1 and 9; these images and videos included both real photos and computer-generated materials. 

He was charged with seven counts of possession of child sexually exploitative material and three counts of visual representation of sex abuse of a minor. Each exploitative material charge carried a maximum 10-year prison sentence, while the visual representation charges each carried a maximum five-year prison sentence.

According to the PSE, McFarlane is considered low risk to reoffend, which, as part of the settlement agreement, means that his sentences will be served concurrently.  

McFarlane was apologetic when he was given the opportunity to address the court.  

“I’m sincerely sorry for what I did,” McFarlane said. “It’s not who I am. I have tried to live my life free of those things, but I failed myself.”  

Deputy Attorney General James Haws was sympathetic to McFarlane’s struggles but told the court those struggles didn’t justify his actions.