Opinion ID: 78396
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Search of Sarras's Home

Text: Immediately after the Sarras call, Officer Ortiz prepared an affidavit for a warrant to search Sarras's home. [3] Ortiz's affidavit said the victim reported that: (1) her stepfather, Sarras, sexually battered her at his residence from October 2006 through January 2007; (2) Sarras had sexual intercourse with her more than ten times, licked her breast approximately two times, performed oral sex on her approximately three times, and received oral sex from her over ten times; and (3) Sarras took numerous pictures of their sexual activities with a digital camera that he kept in his home. The affidavit listed types of erotic depictions that computer forensic examiners should look for in the seized media and identified computers and other devices capable of storing such depictions digitally. Finding that Ortiz's affidavit established probable cause, a state circuit judge issued a warrant authorizing the officers (1) to search Sarras's residence for computer or digital data, programs, applications, files, electronic communications, or other digitally stored date [sic], dynamic data such as processes, open files, services, data in memory, data in an encrypted or decrypted state ... in the form of graphics files... or other visual depiction or other physical computer/digital data of [a] child of less than eighteen (18) years of age engaging in sexual acts and (2) to image forensically [t]he data storage devices onsite or at the Sheriff's Office computer forensic lab depending on any technical limitations encountered at the described location. At Sarras's Tweed residence, officers seized a laptop computer from the coffee table, a Sony Cybershot digital camera, and other computer equipment. [4] A search of the camera's memory stick revealed 41 images of E.M. engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A search of the laptop computer revealed the same 41 images (the laptop photos). A computer forensics examiner determined that (1) all of the pictures were taken with a Sony Cybershot digital camera, (2) 15 photos were taken on October 16, 2006, (3) 10 were taken on October 17, 2006, and (4) 16 were taken on October 23-24, 2006. Of the 41 laptop photos, 27 capture E.M. alone, posing nude, and 14 showed E.M. engaging in sex acts with an adult male. These 14 images appear to have been taken by the adult male in the images because they do not show his face and show only the top side of his erect penis. The 14 images show the man and E.M. engaged in oral and vaginal intercourse. Most of these 14 pictures appear to have been taken during intercourse and thus display only a part of the shaft of the erect penis. Of the 14 photos showing the penis, 1 was taken on October 16, 2006, in Sarras's bedroom at the Tweed residence, 5 were taken on October 17, 2006, in E.M.'s mother's bedroom at the Wheatfield residence, and 8 were taken on October 23-24, 2006, in Sarras's bedroom at the Tweed residence. The 27 photos showing E.M. alone, posing nude, also were spread over the 3 days.