Opinion ID: 901789
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: [¶ 2.] Dubois met Derek St. John, an adult, on an internet dating site. St. John contacted Dubois via his 1-800 telephone number and the two began to date. During this relationship, St. John had access to Dubois' computers. While on Dubois' desktop computer, St. John observed a couple of pornographic pictures depicting children approximately six to eight years old. [¶ 3.] Apparently disturbed by the pictures, St. John reported the pictures to his probation officer, Kathy Christenson. [1] Christenson put St. John in contact with Shannon Riter, a special agent for the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), who investigated the allegations and obtained a warrant to search Dubois' apartment. Upon executing the search warrant, the authorities obtained possession of two computers, a laptop and a desktop. [¶ 4.] The State Forensic Laboratory (Lab) analyzed the computers' hard drives for pornographic images of children. A forensic computer analyst for the Lab discovered sixteen images that he believed were of persons below the age of eighteen on both computers' hard drives. One of the individuals depicted in a few of the pictures was later identified as A.J., a male minor who met Dubois in an internet chat room. [¶ 5.] A.J., who was twelve or thirteen at the time the pictures were taken, testified that Dubois contacted him in the chat room, and they communicated about various topics including sex. A.J. also testified that when he told Dubois his age, Dubois was pretty cool about it. After Dubois provided A.J. with his 1-800 telephone number, the two had contact by telephone. Many of the communications between Dubois and A.J. were sexually charged, covering both anal and oral sex. [¶ 6.] During one of these conversations, Dubois elicited pictures from A.J. stating: I will show you mine, if you show me yours. Dubois later sent pictures of himself naked to A.J. and succeeded in convincing A.J. to reciprocate by sending naked pictures of himself to Dubois. A.J. testified that Dubois requested pictures that displayed A.J.'s penis. [¶ 7.] At trial, the State presented the jury with numerous pictures depicting alleged child pornography as well as other evidence which tended to prove Dubois had solicited the images. After viewing the evidence, the jury found Dubois guilty of five counts of possession of child pornography under SDCL 22-24A-3. [2] The court sentenced Dubois to thirty years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary. [¶ 8.] Dubois appeals raising the following issues: 1. Whether the trial court erred when it denied Dubois' motion to suppress evidence gained from the search of his home. 2. Whether the trial court erred when it permitted the State to present a chat room discussion engaged in by Dubois. 3. Whether there was sufficient evidence to convict Dubois of possessing child pornography. 4. Whether the sentence constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.