Spokane man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

A tip submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to an investigation this summer and the recent guilty plea of a Spokane man who was found to be in possession of more than 60 images of children being sexually assaulted.

Steven E. Prestwood, 34, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of possession of a depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and one count of possession of a controlled substance .

In August, the Sexual Assault Unit at the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office received a tip regarding multiple pornographic images and videos, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

Prestwood was identified as the suspect and detectives obtained multiple search warrants that led to enough evidence to arrest Prestwood in September.

At the time, Prestwood was homeless and was often seen in downtown Spokane. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office worked with a Spokane Police Department neighborhood resource officer to locate Prestwood in early September.

When Prestwood was arrested, he had two cellphones and a black-tar substance, later identified as heroin. Prestwood admitted to police he was in possession of the heroin but said he had only picked it up after finding it in the park, according to a news release.

Prestwood’s sentencing is scheduled for March 31.