David Wayne Land, a former detention officer with Harris County Sheriff’s Office, was convicted of Promotion and Possession of Child Pornography and sentenced to 15 years in prison. This conviction and sentence occurred as the result of a plea agreement between Internet Crimes prosecutor Liah Olsen and the defense lawyer. The punishment range for this offense is 2-20 years in prison or 2-10 years probation.
Evidence garnered through a collaborative effort that began with the Montgomery County Precinct 4 and Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable’s Offices and ultimately included the Department of Homeland Security, Houston Police Department, the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. Investigators found that the defendant was involved in offering for distribution two video files portraying minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The case was among those that led to an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Montgomery County. Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 Constable’s Office’s had become involved with a Harris County-based ICAC Task Force during the earlier case of Duane Parker. On November 26, 2012 a federal search warrant was executed on the residence of David Land located in Porter, Texas.
Upon entry into the residence, agents encountered the adult daughter of the defendant and a 10-year-old minor male not related to Land. The boy was taken to Children’s Safe Harbor for a forensic interview and the minor child indicated inappropriate behavior had taken place at the residence. The child stated that the defendant had been discussing sex acts with the 10-year-old, but had not engaged in any touching at this point. Experts classify this as typical predator grooming behavior. A forensic examination of computers and equipment collected from Land’s residence pursuant to a search warrant showed that the defendant was in possession of over 9,500 images and 62 videos portraying minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
ADA Olson thanked the law enforcement for their quick work on this case and their in depth investigation which rescued an innocent child from potential harm. District Attorney, Brett Ligon connected the ICAC Task Force with his office because of the threat posed by offenders in our county. Ligon stated that children are our most precious resource and they deserve all the protection we can give them. ICAC chief prosecutor, Warren Diepraam, appointed by Ligon as the supervising attorney, stated that child porn is the first step a person takes on their way to becoming touch predators and credits Ligon with forming this division to save children and prevent future harm to our society.
