Opinion ID: 901462
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Danger to the Community

Text: [¶54.] The circuit court was greatly concerned with the escalation of Blair's conduct over time. The police reports contained in the pre-sentence investigation report indicated that Blair's first wife had discovered him peeking through a hole in the wall at two female guests staying at their home while they used the bathroom. After the failure of Blair's second marriage, it appears that his ability to maintain a relationship with an adult woman was further compromised as his self-esteem plummeted. Blair himself noted that he had not been dating much prior to his arrest. At some point in time, Blair appears to have abandoned attempts at relationships with adult women in favor of videotaping eleven- to fourteen-year-old girls. [¶55.] Curran's treatment notes indicate she discussed with Blair the growth and escalation of his behavior from videotaping to an attempt at outright physical contact with two of the girls at the sleepover. In response, Blair noted that three years prior to the arrest he would not have thought he would videotape people. Blair conceded that he had grown tired of watching videotaped images and had moved into personal contact and sexual talk with the two girls on the evening of the sleepover. [¶56.] While Blair's progression from voyeur to child pornographer to attempted child molester may be characterized as slow, nevertheless it was obvious to the circuit court that Blair presented a very real danger to the community. [16] The circuit court concluded that the only reason Blair's conduct did not escalate to an actual attempt at sexual contact appeared to be his arrest. [¶57.] Blair's explanation for his conduct in his basement with these two young girls rings as hollow as his excuse that his motivation for creating the videotape was mere curiosity. Blair offered that these two girls were not even friends of his daughters and that he had basically found them and invited them to come over. He also told Curran that his conduct was the result of low self-esteem and a need to be admired. The circuit court did not accept these factors as plausible explanations, and again determined that Blair's inability to accept his conduct for what it was made him a danger to the community.