Opinion ID: 1489684
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: A.V., J.R. (April 7, 1999)

Text: During a search of the trunk of J.M.B.'s car when he was stopped on an outstanding traffic warrant and for driving with an expired license, police found one hundred photographs depicting young men who were bound and gagged. The young men were arranged in poses. Some were blindfolded. Several photographs had locks of hair taped to them. At least two of the photographs depicted what appeared to be an erect penis in close proximity to the young men's faces. After being given Miranda [4] warnings, J.M.B. waived his rights and provided a statement to the police. He admitted that he took the photographs. He claimed that all the young men in the photographs were willing participants in the activities pictured in the photos. J.M.B. further stated that, after he took the photographs, he would go to his bedroom and masturbate while reading books involving bondage. He admitted that his bondage activities were sex related, however, he denied any sex involvement with his photo participants because he said that he did not have sex with the young men. J.M.B. also said that the penis depicted in the photographs was not real, [5] and claimed the blindfolded subjects were unaware of the device's presence. J.M.B. gave the police the names of some of the young men in the photographs. The police thereafter met with fourteen-year-old A.V. In a signed statement to the police, A.V. said that he had agreed to be tied up by J.M.B. in exchange for satisfaction of a ten dollar debt he owed to J.M.B. J.M.B. tied up A.V. in his trailer and blindfolded him. A.V.'s friend, who was outside, eventually called the police. The police also spoke to two friends of A.V.D.F. and T.D.who informed the police that J.M.B. had tied them up also. J.M.B. was charged with three counts of harassment, one count of contempt, and three counts of luring and enticing a child. He was released on bail on the condition that he have no contact with the victims. J.M.B., however, already had telephoned one of the boys from jail (J.R.) and he proceeded to call him several more times after being released. J.M.B. also wrote to J.R. J.M.B. was arrested again and charged with tampering with a witness. Thereafter, in October, 2001, the photographs that had been seized by the police were ordered suppressed because they had been seized without a warrant. Because the photographs had provided the State with its key evidence and that evidence now was suppressed, only the witness tampering charge against J.M.B. remained viable. The three counts of harassment and the three counts of luring and enticing a child were dismissed. J.M.B. pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness. [6] He was sentenced to five years imprisonment. J.M.B. was scheduled to be released from prison on that sentence on or about February 4, 2004 when, on January 22, 2004, the Attorney General filed the petition for his civil commitment. Because the SVPA proceeding is civil in nature, the civil commitment court held that the exclusionary rule, which barred use of the photographs as evidence in the State's criminal case against J.M.B., would not apply in the civil commitment hearing. Therefore, the court held that the photographs could be used in the civil commitment hearing. The photographs were presented by the State and considered by the court.