Plainville Minister in Court for Child Porn

By Jamie Muro
WTNH
May 9, 2013

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/hartford_cty/plainville-minister-in-court-for-child-porn#.UY5rOcqfzKe

BRISTOL, Conn. (WTNH)-- A youth minister from Plainville faced child porn charges in Bristol, Thursday night.

The arrest warrant for Jonathan Spann details a man initially in denial about his alleged activities, then later admitting to investigators that he's been downloading child pornography for almost seven years.

In February of 2012, Bristol Police received a call from a special agent from the Department of Homeland Security. A lead was developed from a website called "Liberal Morality" that was a child pornography website.

An IP address would, eventually, lead them to the home of a married Bristol couple, Jonathan Spann and his wife Christina Dube.

The arrest warrant states that in his first interview with police, Spann only admitted to accessing adult pornography. But when police first accessed his hard drives, they discovered many images of child pornography in "free space."

News 8's Jamie Muro went out to Spann's condominium complex in Bristol, working his neighborhood, door after door, wanting to learn more about Spann. No one wanted to go on camera, but said he appeared to be a normal, friendly individual. He knocked on Spann's door, but no one answered the door.

The investigation would take months, and eventually, police say Spann would admit to his actions. The arrest warrant says that Spann said searches the internet using such terms as "lolita, naked kids...shota, toddlercon."

The arrest warrant says he defines what "toddlercon" is, a "search term for locating nude boys and girls under the age of seven engaged in sexual activities."

He tells police his preferred viewing is boys, and would even download images on his LG smartphone.

He told police he was sorry for what he had done, and hopes to get help for his problem.

One of the computers he bought was from his pastor at New Life Fellowship Church in Plainville. News 8 went to the church to see what the pastor knew about his church member, but the door was locked.