Pinal County Man Sentenced to 280 Years for Child Pornography

January 17, 2019

FLORENCE, Ariz. – A jury found 40-year-old Michael Huntoon guilty of ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and dangerous crimes against children.

At sentencing on January 9th, the court imposed a presumptive sentence of 28 years for each of the ten counts against him.  In total, Huntoon was sentenced to 280-years in prison.

“This office is committed to putting predators behind bars and keeping our communities safe.  Sentences like these ensure that Mr. Huntoon and those like him will never perpetrate another crime on another child,” Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said.

In 2015, Phoenix and Chandler Police Departments uncovered Huntoon’s actions while they were proactively investigating on a peer-to-peer file sharing network known for the distribution of child pornography.  On the file-sharing network, they discovered downloadable images and videos exploiting children.  After close examination, detectives discovered the source of the information came from Huntoon’s computer.

The Phoenix Police Department, with the assistance of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, searched Huntoon’s Apache Junction residence.  During the search, law enforcement seized a laptop, cell phone, and tablet belonging to Huntoon.  Detectives from the Phoenix Police Department forensically analyzed those devices which resulted in the discovery of thousands of images of minors, as young as five-years-old.  Law enforcement officers arrested Huntoon on October 28, 2015.

“Cases like these are built by the seamless collaboration of multiple jurisdictions and police agencies.  By these agencies working together, men like Mr. Huntoon are systematically identified, prosecuted, and held accountable for their crimes against our most vulnerable,” Volkmer said.

Report child exploitation to the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 623-466-1835.  Additionally, you can file a report online on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Cybertipline or call your local police agency.

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