Rathdrum man charged with child sexual exploitation

COEUR d’ALENE — A Rathdrum man is facing felony charges after police said he possessed hundreds of images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.

David M. Marquez, 68, is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitive material, all felonies. 

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force launched an investigation after receiving tips about images of child sexual abuse uploaded to Microsoft Bing Images, according to court records. 

After investigators determined that the IP address used to upload the images was associated with Marquez’s Rathdrum residence, multiple area law enforcement agencies served a search warrant on the home, including the Rathdrum, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene police departments and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. 

Marquez agreed to be transported to the Rathdrum Police Department for questioning. When interviewed by police, Marquez allegedly admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material stored on USB drives and SD cards throughout his home. 

Investigators located “hundreds of images and videos” depicting child sexual abuse stored on devices that belong to Marquez, according to court records. Some of the children recorded in the images and videos appeared to be toddlers, prosecutors said. 

In Idaho, sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.