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Grand jury indicts man on child pornography charges

An Oahu grand jury has indicted a 50-year-old man for allegedly possessing and distributing child pornography.

Jeffrey P. Bettis was charged with two counts of promoting child abuse in the second degree, a class B felony. Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

A bench warrant was issued Thursday for his arrest. His aggregate bail is set at $11,000.

According to a news release by the state Department of the Attorney General, Bettis is accused of disseminating eight images of children being sexually exploited.

He is also charged with possessing 104 images of children being sexually exploited. Of that figure, 29 images were of children under the age of 12.

Bettis is also accused of possessing 30 videos of children being sexually exploited. Of that, 17 videos depicted children under the age of 12.

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

In the release, Attorney General 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.”

16 responses to “Grand jury indicts man on child pornography charges”

  1. MillionMonkeys says:

    What causes this sickness? Born that way or because something happened in their childhood? What can fix it?

  2. Cellodad says:

    Mori, brah,we as a community abhor people who prey upon children. We also abhor people who endanger others by their habits and behaviors. The way to do something about it is to become active and be an example. I know that anger is cathartic but it’s not terribly effective. Be the change that you want to see. Let others learn from your example.

    • btaim says:

      Actually, we are a community where there are people who prey upon the weaker, more vulnerable, and the minority groups among us. I completely agree that we all need to start within, then to radiate that example outward. I think that is one reason why I am repelled by loud, bombastic politicians who claim to champion fairness and justice, but whose actual history of behavior in life is inconsistent with those values. I am incredibly pleased to read a comment like yours. Knowing that there are good people among us helps me, for one, try harder to stay on that virtuous path.

    • Cellodad says:

      yes Mori, I feel your anger also. I have some friends who are state legislators. What may I tell them for you. (I get the sense that you really care but are also really frustrated. Let me know how I can help.)

    • HanabataDays says:

      “Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results”

  3. Hawaiiobserver says:

    Sickening! A criminology prof said that ppl who harm children and incarcerated are treated the WORST in prison!!!!

  4. Dawg says:

    SA show us his picture so we know who he is?

  5. TigerEye says:

    Actually, as you saw from the responses you received it obviously wasn’t just the Star Advertiser you offended.

    I can’t speak for the others, but my thought is that if you feel the need to give dead people a piece of your mind, you should hide behind the bushes at the cemetery, wait for the visiting relatives to move on and then scream your obscenities at his grave. The deceased are beyond caring.

    By showing up in a newspaper blog, dumping insults and ranting about how glad you are that someone (you know jack about) is dead from an accident, your spittle does not land on the deceased but on living children, parents, siblings and friends who have done nothing to you and who don’t deserve any more pain heaped upon them by some anonymous creep whose vicious, completely gratuitous contempt they might make the mistake of taking seriously.

  6. Mr Mililani says:

    Is this the guy who is a former Catholic priest?

  7. Ronin006 says:

    I would like to know how the Grand Jury or the Attorney General determined from an image that someone is under age 12.

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