Man indicted on child porn charges

An Oahu grand jury has indicted a 50-year-old man on child pornography charges for allegedly possessing and distributing images of children being sexually exploited, the state Department of the Attorney General said Thursday.

Jeffrey P. Bettis was charged with two counts of promoting child abuse in the second degree, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. His bail is set at $11,000.

According to an attorney general’s news release, Bettis is accused of distributing eight images of children being sexually exploited.

He is also charged with possessing 104 images of children being sexually exploited — 29 images were of children under the age of 12. Bettis is also accused of possessing 30 videos of children being sexually exploited, with 17 videos depicting children under the age of 12.

The investigation was conducted by the attorney general’s Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

In the release, Attorney General Doug Chin said, “Possessing and disseminating child pornography is child abuse. Every time someone views these images, the victim suffers more abuse. The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’s mission is to prosecute this sick behavior.”