CRIME

Las Cruces man with hidden cameras in bathroom convicted of child porn

Sun-News report
Paul Ikard

LAS CRUCES - A Las Cruces man accused of putting hidden cameras in his bathroom has been found guilty of possessing child porn and voyeurism.

A Doña Ana County jury found Paul Ikard, 55, guilty of of one count of sexual exploitation of children by possession of child pornography and two counts of voyeurism (victim under 18) following a three-day trial.

The jury took two hours to return the guilty verdicts.

After the guilty verdicts, Third Judicial District Court Judge Conrad F. Perea ordered Ikard to be taken into custody and to be held without bond pending sentencing. He's facing a maximum of 4.5 years incarceration and life-time registration as a sexual offender.

Sentencing will be held in approximately 30 days before Perea.

Las Cruces police became aware of the allegations on May 22, 2016.

Videos created by Ikard were discovered on his computer’s hard drive when he sent the hard drive to a private Ohio-based company to be repaired in September 2015.

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The company discovered several videos depicting minor children during the repair process and contacted the FBI in Ohio.

The matter was referred to the New Mexico FBI office and was eventually handed over to investigators with the Las Cruces Police Department.

Search warrants for the hard drives revealed multiple videos depicting Ikard setting up hidden cameras in different bathroom vents and under sinks. The videos captured four separate people using the toilet, showering and changing clothes.

Those on the video ranged in age from 9 years old to early 20s.

When searching Ikard's home, authorities found a small digital video camera with velcro strips attached to it. Corresponding velcro strips were found mounted to the bathroom vent. Ikard’s face can be seen on some of the videos while he attempted to mount the camera to the vent cover, authorities said.

KFOX-TV reported that during testimony, Ikard said an accuser tried to blackmail him and video showed Ikard telling a detective he put up the cameras because of the blackmail threat.

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The Twelfth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, out of Alamogordo, was appointed to handle the case.

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